Well I Guess This Is Growing Up
by yanks2709
Summary: The Ducks are entering their final year at EH Academy with the addition of an O/C. Deal with the normal ups and downs of teen life, hockey, and the possibility of college. Eventual Charlie/OC C/G J/P. Other pairings possible. Enjoy! & Review!  first fic
1. Chapter 1

****First Fic...R/R ! hope you all like it !**

Lables: High School is all about labels. You have your Preps, Geeks, Jocks, Foreign kids, and just about any other label one could think of. High school, at its superficial surface, seems to be all about labels, when really it's a time to find yourself. That's what they did. In the midst of all the jokes and antics over the years, the Ducks found themselves. They were more than a team full of jocks. They were a team of friends who played together, supported each other, and flew together.

Senior year at Eden Hall quickly approached. College was surely in the front of their minds, most thinking about pursuing hockey. Varsity Hockey, alone, consumed the better part of their time, but like any high school students, they dabbled in many areas: life, love, troubles, and normal hormonal mayhem. The Ducks made their mark at Eden Hall from the time they were the JV squad, uniting, rather than dividing the school. They knew senior year would bring a great end to what they started, and hopefully their legacy would carry on for years to come.

Coach Orion remained loyal to the Ducks, and improved their skills year after year. Bombay frequently checked in with his old team, arranging tournaments and acting a supportive figure. The Ducks, themselves, served as leaders and mentors for the JV team, hoping they would continue the great hockey dynasty.

The first day of classes proved to be a rough one, not only due to the inviting sun and hot weather, but also due to the challenging course work, topped off by many AP classes. AP English started the day as Adam, Charlie, Julie, Dwayne, Averman, and Goldberg listened to the teacher's lecture on Act I of _Hamlet_. The rest of the Ducks were in the other English section. A 45 minute class seemed to drag on for hours, especially when everyone adjusted to lounging around for hours over the summer. The most excitement came from Averman's sarcastic side comments, until the door slammed open and a disheveled girl stormed into the room, wearing grey sweat pants, a New York Yankees t-shirt, and sporty Nike flip flops. To top it off, her curly hair was thrown into a frizzy, messy bun.

"Here," she said, rummaging through her bag, "late note. Sorry." She looked up at the class searching for an empty desk. Her eyes moved rapidly as she scurried to sit down. The ruffling of papers distracted half the class as she tried to discreetly unpack her books. Instead, loose papers spilled onto the floor. With an exasperated sigh, the girl dropped her head onto her desk, and took a deep breath. Luckily, when she looked up a hand loomed over her desk with the fallen papers. "Sorry. Thanks," she said to the plaid clad boy to her right.

"No problem," Lester Averman replied.

After an excruciating twenty-five more minutes the bell signaled the end of class as everyone fled out of the door.

"Um, Erin," the boy called as she filed down the hallway, looking for her locker.

Not sure if the voice was calling her or some other girl, Erin turned around to face the sam red-headed boy from class.

"You dropped this on your way out," he said holding out a piece of paper to her.

"Oh. Damn. Today's not going well already. Thanks," she said pausing trying to put a name to the boy's face.

"Oh, Averman. Nice to meet ya," the boy said adjusting his glasses.

"Yeah, you too. Thanks for the help already. Didn't mean to make you go out of your way," Erin responded while seeking out her locker so she could exchange books for the day.

"Nah, don't worry. I mean you're only gonna make me late for my next class," Averman said.

"Oh...um," she said, biting her lip while looking down.

"I'm kidding! I actually have a free period now," Averman replied.

"Wow, for a minute there you made me feel even worse buddy," Erin said, raising an eyebrow, crossing her hands over her chest.

"Hey, well come to the cafeteria with me. They make some kick ass cookies. They may make you feel like 10 pounds heavier, but I guarantee they'll brighten your day. Ask Goldberg, he's a pleasantly plump guy," Averman said, causing Erin to laugh.

"Well whenever I find out who Goldberg is, I'll remember to tell him you said that," she said, as they strolled down the hallway to the cafeteria that was just about half full. A dirty-blonde haired boy waived Averman over to a group of two other guys and a girl.

"Hey guys," Averman said, while waiving at the group. "Oh, and this is Erin, she's obviously new here this year. Erin meet Guy, Russ, Fulton, and Connie."

They all smiled and waived. "Here, sit down," Connie, the pale, dark haired girl, said, sliding another chair over to the table.

"Thanks," Erin said smiling.

"So where you from?" she asked, leaning toward Erin, away from the arm of the blonde boy, Guy.

"New York, cause of some family stuff going on I'm here to help out with it, so yea," Erin said, choosing her word carefully in order to avoid divulging her life story.

"Oh, wow! New York!" Connie exclaimed.

"Damn, now you're gonna be the cool one. Guess bein' from the mean streets of LA doesn't count for anything anymore," a chubby, African American boy chimed in. The girl just smiled and rolled her eyes at him.

Judging by the banter among the people at the table, Erin assumed the group must be friends. "You guys must be pretty close, or it seems that way."

"Yeah," Averman cut in. "We're actually the Varsity Hockey team. The Ducks. Connie, me, and Guy have been together since Pre-K. We met Fulton in Pee-wee hockey when we were ten. There's like a bunch more of us. If you remember Charlie and Goldberg in English with us, yea they've been with us since Pre-K, too. Oh, and Banks since 5th grade. The rest came for the junior Goodwill games, don't know if that rings a bell?"

"Well, if I didn't feel like an outsider before," Erin joked, while she fumbled with her unruly hair.

"Don't worry," Connie said. "Besides me and Julie, we don't have many other girls around. They're either too intimidated, and some use us to get to the guys. It's sorta messed up."

Erin smiled and appreciated how nice Connie seemed. "Well thanks for letting me sit here with you guys. But hockey is pretty sick. I wish I could play, but I just never tried. Volleyball and softball are my sports," Erin explained.

"Nice. You thinking of going out for the volleyball team?" Guy asked.

"I guess. The Coach at my old school asked me to be captain. So we'll see," Erin said smiling. "I still think it's awesome that you're on Varsity hockey, Connie. Don't know if I'd have the guts."

"Yeah, noone messes with my girl," Guy said, hugging Connie from behind.

"Aw," Erin said, while the other three guys laughed.

The rest of the day went on the same way. Erin was happy to find that Averman also shared AP Biology and AP Calculus with her. Seeing a familiar face eased her mind. Adam Banks and Julie Gaffney also shared these classes, which made her feel more comfortable since they friends of Averman.

After school, Erin stayed to finish some homework in order to brush off the immense weight of her books. As 5:15 rolled around, she decided to pack for the night and head home. She needed a shower badly. Luckily the bus stop was not crowded, and she was first in line. Shortly after waiting, the bus rode up to the stop. A couple of seats in the back were free, so she sat down, happy to have some arm room. The brief relief soon vanished when a familiar looking boy sat down beside her.

"Scuse me," he said, carrying quite a bit of equipment of his own.

Erin reluctantly moved her bag aside as the boy sat on the seat next to her.

"Sorry," he mumbled, noticing her incredulous stare.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Sorry," she said, glancing over at the boy's shoulder.

Due to traffic, and lack of luck with street lights, Erin decided to start reading _Hamlet, _for English. After a fruitless ten minutes of reading, she placed the book back into her bag.

"So, is it good?" asked the boy.

"Um...yea. It's alright," she responded, making eye contact with his knee.

"Yea. You're in first period English right?" he inquired further.

"Mhm, that's right," she replied. "Are you a friend of Averman's by any chance," she asked pointing to his hockey equipment in the aisle.

"Yep, actually. I'm Charlie," he said.

"Erin. Averman mentioned you were one of his oldest friends," she responded, trying her best to make small talk.

"Yep, that's me. What brings you to Minnesota?" he asked.

"Well, I'm from New York. My uncle needs some help. So now my family's here, and instead of senior year ruling my old school, I'm here starting from scratch," Erin explained monotonously.

"I'm guessing you've told that story about a million times today? Sorry," he said laughing.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I'm just really tired. Summer needs to come back right now," she replied, leaning her head back against the chair cushion.

"Tell me about it. As much as I love hockey and captain responsibilities, school work is gonna kill me. And college apps! First semester is already kicking my ass," he explained, sympathetic to Erin's situation. "Gotta get Bs or better to stay on the Ducks, and I need to get into Boston University or Boston College with a hockey scholarship."

"Wow, sounds almost as bad as my life. I think you just may have me beat!" she laughed. "At least someone's life sucks worse than mine."

"Oh, wow! Thanks for the encouragement," he said, laughing.

"No problem. I'm glad you enjoy my sarcasm," Erin smiled.

Charlie just laughed.

"Yea, well my top schools are either Boston College, Fordham, Holy Cross, or maybe BU as well. So maybe we'll be in the same neighborhood next year. But this is seriously ridiculous. Making new friends...just a pain in the ass. This morning I couldn't even get ready," Erin ranted, gesturing to her Yankee t-shirt and gray sweatpants.

"Hey, we all have those days. Don't worry bout it. Doesn't bother me really, only human," Charlie paused, thinking of another conversation starter. Despite her negativity, he figured she needed someone to talk to since she knew noone. "So what you listening to?"

"Oh, "The Joker," Steve Miller Band," Erin said, offering him and ear bud.

"Nice, good song," Charlie said.

After a while, Charlie and Erin reached their stop and exited the bus together.

"So how far's the walk for you?" Charlie asked.

"Um...Just like seven blocks or something. It's Yates street," Erin replied.

"Oh, wow! Nice! My mom actually works right here," Charlie said, pointing to the diner. "I live the other way, but I usually stop in so my mom can give me a ride."

"Nice," Erin said. "Well I'll see ya tomorrow, Charlie," she said, waving, beginning to walk away. "Have fun with _Hamlet_."

Charlie laughed, "Oh, yes, most fun I'll have all day."

"I bet. Way better than the bus with me," Erin joked. "See ya!"

On that note, Charlie walked into the diner to see Coach Bombay sitting at the counter. "Charlie! How was the first day of senior year?" Bombay questioned.

Charlie plopped down on the stool resting his head on his arms before he said, "One day and it's already killing me."

"Don't worry. You'll be fine," Coach reassured him.

"How's your cousin doing today?" Charlie asked.

"He's doing okay. Taking it a day at a time, you know that's all he can do. Not going back to work any time soon though. Jack's a fighter. He'll pull through," Gordon responded. "His family is in town to help out, too. He's got a good brother. James was always a good guy when we were kids. Even when my dad died, James was there for us all."

"That's nice. You know, to have a family like that," Charlie said.

"It's nice having James around. If you want you can come visit Jack with me Saturday after practice," Bombay offered.

"Coach, I don't want to..." but Charlie was cut off by Bombay.

"Charlie, you're family. You're the heart of the Ducks. Plus, James never had the pleasure to meet you," he said.

"I don't know, Coach," Charlie shrugged.

"Well, James has a daughter your age. Could that persuade you?" Bombay question, jokingly.

"Nice try, and I'll think about it," Charlie said.

As the week dragged on, the Ducks were bogged down with homework and hockey plays. By that time, Erin had made Varsity Volleyball, while she established blossoming friendships with some of the Ducks.

"Yo, Erin," Fulton called from down the hallway.

"Hey, What's up dude," she answered, exchanging books for her next few classes. She finally adjusted to the new schedule, so she avoided any incidents like the first day of school.

"Wanna come play some street hockey with us Saturday afternoon? Charlie's got something he needs to do," Fulton asked.

"Well, first, I highly doubt my ability to play any kind of hockey, and second, I gotta visit my uncle in the hospital that day. Definitely some other time soon, though!" Erin answered as she and Fulton walked to their government class.

Fulton nodded as they took seats next to one another. They were soon joined by Dwayne, Charlie, Russ, and Portman. "So Erin, you commin' Saturday?" Portman asked, patting her hard on the back.

"Nah, can't, wish I could though, so I can entertain you with my lack of hockey skills. Maybe I could meet up later that night, though?" Erin replied, half asking, hoping she was not intruding on the group.

"I'm out with Julie that night, dude, but yeah, everyone else should be around," responded Portman.

"Aw, that's cute, you and Julie, I mean. Didn't even know the two of you were together. Never woulda guessed actually," Erin said, smiling up at Portman.

"Yup. It'll be seven months. It's cool," he said with a nod.

"Well if I didn't think relationships were the epitome of evil, I would totally go as far as to say you guys are very lucky to have each other," Erin said, with a shrug.

"Oh, and there's that good ol' sarcasm again," Charlie chimed in from the seat behind her.

Unaware that he sat listening to her conversation, she was still quick to respond. "Of course, Conway. Would you really expect anything less?" She turned to face the him, only to be met with his half smile as she laughed at her own words. He raised an eyebrow at Erin, and shook his head, finding the sheer fact that she humored herself amusing. The sound of the bell interrupted Charlie and Erin's silent communication as the teacher strolled into the room.

"Time to turn around, Shirley Temple. Wouldn't want to distract you from your studies," Charlie joked.

"Whatever you say, King Charles," Erin responded quickly. After another moment of resistance, she finally positioned herself toward the front of the classroom, completely unprepared and distracted.


	2. Chapter 2: What a Coincidence!

**Somewhat shorter chapter. Reviews appreciated. :) I've been a huge fan of the movies since I was really young, so I figured writing a fan-fic would happen eventually!**

"Coach, I really feel weird being here," Charlie said, following Gordon down the long hallway of the hospital.

"Meeting you will cheer him up. Just because he has cancer doesn't mean he can't be happy," Bombay reassured Charlie. They finally reached Jack's room where he sat watching Saturday baseball.

"Gordon! The Twins are gonna take it this year," Jack said with a cheerful grin, which was enhanced by the fact that the Minnesota Twins lead the Royals 9-3.

"Maybe. You look good today, Jack," Bombay said, hugging his cousin.

"Yeah, I'm feeling alright. Just keeping busy," Jack said.

"Good. Well I want you to meet someone, actually. This is...," but Bombay was cut off.

"Charlie," said a feminine voice from the door. Charlie turned his neck and saw Erin standing next to the doorway in jeans, a patterned t-shirt, and a black vest.

"Erin! Hey! What you doing here?" Charlie questioned.

Gordon cut in, "That's my second cousin, Erin. She's James' daughter."

"No way, Gordon!" Erin exclaimed walking into the room, "When my dad told me the Ducks, I didn't know he meant THOSE Ducks!"

Shortly after Erin situated herself next to her uncle, her father James walked over. "So you're the real Minnesota Miracle Man, hu?" he said to Charlie, shaking his hand.

"I guess so," Charlie replied, scratching his head.

"The heart of the team," Bombay intervened, "Didn't even occur to me that you were sending Erin to Eden Hall."

"Yeah. Last minute thing. Figured you turned out pretty good, so why not," James said with a grin.

Charlie looked at the four family members in the room. They definitely could pass as family. Bombay looked younger than the others, but Charlie contributed this to the fact that he was slightly younger. Although he did wonder where Erin's curly hair came from.

"Looks like you guys know each other from school, then?" Bombay asked Erin.

"Yep. We have English, Government, and Social Ethics class together," Erin said.

"Yeah. We usually take the bus home, too. And Averman introduced her to all the guys," Charlie added.

"That's great," Bombay said.

Jack cut in from his place in front of the television, "Why don't you two head out. You don't want to be cooped up in a hospital all day. Go out, have fun."

"You sure, Uncle Jack?" Erin questioned, still concerned about her uncle.

He nodded.

"It was nice to meet you," Charlie said, extending a hand.

When Erin and Charlie walked out of the hospital, he asked, "Why aren't you a Bombay?"

"Well my Grandfather and Gordon's mother were related. So that's where the name thing comes from. So I'm a Cadrell," she explained.

Charlie scrunched his face attempting to understand the relations, but it was useless. "Maybe if you walk me through it slowly next time, I'll get it."

"Kind of like school, Charlie," Erin replied, quickly.

Rolling his eyes, he nudged her slightly. "Alright, let's go meet up with everyone."

Erin and Charlie approached the park where everyone skated and played a street hockey game.

"Charlie," Erin said, grabbing his arm, "I don't have any skates or anything."

"I didn't bring mine either," he replied. "We can watch. Everyone's probably gonna be done soon anyway."

"Yo Charlie!" Russ exclaimed, skating over, greeting him by clasping his hand. "Hey Erin. Once we finished beating Cake-Eater and them, some of us are gonna go out bowling. You in?"

Before Captain Duck could accept the invitation, Erin leaped forward. "YES! Bowling is so much fun! I suck, but still!"

"Well, I'll take that as a yes," Russ said, laughing. "What about you, man. You in?"

"Well," he said, looking down at Erin, who stood at least a foot shorter, "I don't know if I can handle the pressure of making Minnesota bowling as good as New York bowling," he teased, forcing Erin to roll her eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes, Conway," Russ said, pointing his hockey stick at Charlie, while he skated back to finish the game.

Erin laughed, "Wow, I just love being around sarcastic assholes all the time." Charlie knew she was referring to his previous comment.

"Um...you forgot dead sexy, sarcastic assholes," Charlie pointed out, looking the other way.

Erin simply crossed her arms, starring up at him with raised eyebrows, despite the fact that her face grew slighly warmer.

When she didn't respond, he turned to meet her gaze, "Or not..." he trailed off slowly, with a laugh.

"Conway, you are too much," she said walking to sit on a nearby bench.

"Woo hoo! I am the bowling King!" Banks exclaimed parading down the street with a plastic King's crown on his head.

"Jeez, this beats any bowling back in New York. I still suck, but dude, you're awesome. 130 is pretty damn good, Banks," Erin said, jumping to grab the crown from Adam's head.

"At least you're not Charlie, Mr. 51," Adam said as everyone laughed. Charlie threw at least seven gutter balls throughout the course of the game.

"Shut up Banksie. I'm telling you that ball was...jinxed!" Charlie retorted.

"Excuses, excuses my friend. It was my entertainment for the night and my first weekend here. Thanks Capt. Conway," Erin said with a smirk.

"Ha ha, sounds like Captain Crunch," Fulton laughed.

"Oh, please, don't give Bam Bam over here any other ideas," Charlie warned, smirking back at Erin. "By the way, still need the ride home?" he asked her.

"Um...honestly I could walk. It's really okay," Erin said, putting her hands in her pockets.

"No way. We're walking to the diner to wait for Banksie's parents to pick him up. Then my mom will just swing by your place. Come on," Charlie continued, convincing her to accept the ride.

She nodded, heading off with Adam and Charlie. Along the way, the guys suggested she come to some of their hockey games. So, before they parted ways, she made them a deal: she would watch their games if they promised to watch her play volleyball. Adam and Charlie agreed, glad to oblige to their newest friend.


	3. Chapter 3

Over the course of the next month, Erin became close with many of the Ducks. She spent much of her time studying Bio with Banks, Averman, and Julie; exchanging music with Fulton and Portman; playing marriage consultant to Connie and Guy; and just goofing off with everyone else. Family dinners were somewhat more eventful due to Charlie's presence, along with the rest of the Ducks who tried to teach her to play hockey. Although her skills teetered on horrific, being naturally athletic slightly helped her cause.

"Guys. My tournament is Wednesday and you all better be coming," Erin said, skating around, fumbling over the stick she borrowed.

"I'm coming, since you said you'd buy me dinner," Goldberg said.

"Psh...Glad to know my accomplishments really matter to you dude. Using me for food now, jeez!" Erin replied, feigning sadness.

They were finally ready to start the game. "Alright Erin," Charlie said, "You ready? Me and Fulton will try our best to help you out. Remember it's me, you, Connie, Fulton, Luis, and Goldberg."

"Charlie. I think I got it alright," she said, tying her hair into a ponytail before adjusting her jeans and green cardigan sweater.

"Just trying to help, but since you're little miss perfect over there..." Charlie started, but trailed off when he noticed Erin's glare. Charlie glared back, trying to suppress a smile.

"Charles, we are just too stubborn for our own good. Now, let's play," she said.

For the most part, the game consisted of Fulton defending Erin, as her other teammates passed to her in order to keep her in the game and to give her as much practice as possible. Although she appreciated the constant action, she still blundered many times and caused numerous turnovers throughout the game. Connie was on a break away at one point, so Guy chased after her resulting in a collision. As Connie hit the floor, Guy endlessly apologized, worried if he hurt her. After numerous times of reassuring him that she was not hurt, he skated off, but steered clear of his girlfriend for the rest of the game. This tactic allowed Connie to be open to score at almost any point. By the end of the game, Charlie's team had won six goals to four.

"Cadrell. You're really not that horrible," Adam remarked. "You're lucky you have such good teachers around here.

"Ha, thanks Adam. Good to know I'm not THAT horrible," she said with a laugh, linking arms with her friend.

School consisted mostly of filling out applications for college and the Ducks stayed busy due to intense pre-season practice. Many of them hoped to impress scouts from various schools. The early application deadlines quickly approached for the seniors who considered applying to schools such as Boston University, Boston College, UNC, Ohio State, and Julie ambitiously decided to apply to Columbia.

"Wouldn't it be cool if we both ended up going to school in New York?" Erin said to Julie while munching on her turkey sandwich.

Julie smiled, but her face suddenly turned serious. "Erin, you have amazing grades. I don't know why you're not going for any of the Ivy Leagues."

"Not my thing. I love BC. It's gonna be such a hard decision though," Erin said with a shrug.

"Guys, can we please stop with the whole college thing. It's making me way too nervous," Adam chimed in, leaning his head into his hands.

"Dude. You're gonna get in everywhere. Plus hockey...man, you're set. I'll be lucky to get in anywhere," Fulton snapped. "On that note he left the table and stormed out of the lunch room, straight past Charlie who walked in.

"Hey guys," he called. He received a mix of "hey's" and "what's up's" from everyone except Adam who still seemed to be stressing over the previous topic of conversation. Despite his superb grades and well roundedness, Adam worried about his financial well being at the moment. Despite Cake Eaters wealth, his father recently found that he was laid off from his job. None of the Ducks knew about his so called crisis at the moment, so they all assumed Adam's worries were unimportant.

After Charlie took a seat next to Julie, he began to furiously rummage through his backpack. A moment later, Charlie pulled out a flyer causing the friends to crane their necks to see the print. Before anyone could read the words, Charlie said, "Winter formal time guys." He held two fingers to his head, indicating his opposition to the event.

"I'm guessing you're not excited?" Erin pointed out.

"Ha ha. How'd you guess?" he began, "It's just another ploy for the school to make money. Seriously, I am not paying $40 to dance around in some stupid, fancy hall for a couple hours. Friggen ridiculous load of crap," Charlie finished.

"Yeah," Julie agreed. "And it's so awkward for people to not go cause they feel like they need dates," she explained.

"Well, I'm all for dressing up every now and again, but really," Erin said, gesturing to her v-neck sweater and jeans. "But if you're so set against it," she started, looking over to Charlie, "you're pretty popular around here, so..."

"So what. Eden Hall tradition is not to be tampered with my friend," he said, rolling his eyes, since he completely disagreed with those words.

"Except that one time, Charlie," Julie interrupted, pointing to the Duck crest at the front of the dining hall.

Now Charlie saw where Erin was leading. He turned to her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and said, "Holy crap! You're brilliant, and that's why you're gonna help me come up with something else to propose to the board."

"What! No! I am not getting dragged into this. Responsibility just follows me everywhere I go, goddammit! Three APs, plus college, now this?" Erin frantically questioned, trying to weasel her way out of the big job.

Charlie simply starred at Erin, slightly pouting.

"Charlie," Erin whined, dragging out his name. "Second semester I'm all for helping, but now! Why now?"

He continued to stare, hoping that his silent pleads would convince her. If there was one quality he appreciated about Erin, it was that she cared about her friends, and would do her best to help them when possible.

Erin paused for a moment, "Ugh, fine. But it's just a suggestion. At my old school there was this annual skating thing. So, yeah, maybe that can be fun. Like, a night at the rink here, so we'd just have to pay a DJ and we could do a student-run concession stand," Erin explained. "And the cost to get in would be much lower, like $7 or something."

Julie, Charlie, and Adam silently pondered the idea for a moment before chiming in with simultaneous words of approval.

"Damn, that's a really good idea, Erin!" Adam said. "You guys have to go to Dean Buckley with this one. And you could even do a theme or something."

"We'll see what happens," Erin said, pleased that her friends liked the idea. It was nice for people to take genuine interest in her words and thoughts. Having a voice always proved important for the former New Yorker; therefore her impulsive decision to help Charlie did not surprise her. As the end of lunch approached, Erin and her friends talked and joked until their next class began.


	4. Chapter 4: Interrogation & Thanksgiving

**Chapter 4: I'm impressed that I've actually continued to write this. Review/feedback ! :) don't own the ducks, or any other characters ect...woo enjoy! **

Thanksgiving creeped up on the Ducks quickly, causing them to kick practice into high gear. Their only day to rest fell on Sunday, but every other day required three hour practices. Orion told them that as seniors, practice should not be a chore, but something necessary to better their skills, especially if they planned on playing at the collegiate level. Dedication proved to be the key to success and due to the years of work and practice, their skills stood out among many high school seniors.

While the team practiced and tried to impress various scouts, Erin found herself spending much of her time alone after school. Sure, she had other friends, but she seemed to bond with many of the team members. Because volleyball season ended, she found herself frustrated with her lack of extra-curricular activities. Writing for the school newspaper just did not suffice. Along with lack of activities, she needed Charlie to propose his new winter formal idea to the Dean. Boys and their procrastination.

By Wednesday, the Ducks looked forward to nothing, but the five day weekend ahead. Julie, Dwayne, Portman, Russ, Luis, and Kenny would return home, while the rest of the friends would spend time with family in Minnesota. Since she knew practice ended around six o'clock every day, Erin decided to walk from the library over to the rink.

"Good work, team!" Coach Orion bellowed. "Remember to look over plays this weekend, but other than that have fun and be safe. Happy Thanksgiving." Everyone thanked Orion as they filed off the ice where Erin stood against the glass with folded arms. Orion was the last to leave the rink and greeted her with a smile and a wave. Even though he was tough on the Ducks, they all respected him and looked at him as a leader. He was also a truly compassionate man considering his daughters health issues.

"We'll be out in fifteen minutes. Wait for us?" Averman called before walking into the locker room.

"Yeah, for sure," she said, taking a seat on the bleachers, continuing to read her Bio notes.

The locker room smelled of the usual, sweaty, post-practice aroma once the whole seem filed into the small space. Some collapsed on the surrounding benches, while others began to change right away. Taking a whiff of the air, Averman covered his mouth. "Ah, that smells worse than Goldie!" Although he was joking, Goldberg punched his arm while he walked to the showers.

"I can't wait. I get to spend Thanksgiving with Bombay, and his cousin is home from the hospital now," Charlie said, stripping himself of the sweaty jersey we wore.

"Oh, so that means you're spending it with Erin too?" Luis asked, putting emphasis on her name.

"Yeah. So?" Charlie asked, throwing his equipment over his shoulder, half grinning.

"I dunno, man. You tell me," Luis replied nudging his buddy.

"Hm, the two of you at dinner together with the whole family. Shit's gonna make for an interesting dinner. Too bad I can't stop by to watch," Averman teased in his sarcastic tone. From the long history he shared with Charlie, Averman knew his friend as anything but shy when it came to dating. Sure, like anyone, the captain had his fair share of upsets, but he never witnessed Charlie approach a situation like he was now.

Charlie shot a glance over to Averman. He suspected that an interrogation would follow some time soon. Figuring the best time to talk would be some other time, Charlie gathered the remainder of his equipment and headed toward the door. "I'm out guys," he said before hugging those who would return home and walking out of the locker room.

As he rounded the corner, Charlie noticed Erin and Banks having a seemingly important conversation. So, rather than intruding he sat down outside the lockers.

"Erin. I have no idea what to do. I mean this has never happened to my dad before. We've always been a stable family with more than enough and now he's got no job," Adam said, explaining to his friend the reason behind his recent stress. "Like, I do have good grades, and the whole hockey thing helps, but if I don't get any money to schools, I'm completely screwed."

"Yeah, I get it Banks. Hard times happen. We picked up and left New York for the year to come here and help out. It's sucked at times, and my dad had to find new work, which hasn't been easy, but you'll get through it. Gotta stay positive if you can, cause otherwise you'll go insane," Erin replied, trying to be sympathetic to his situation, while shedding light from her own experience.

"This sucks," he said, simply. By that time, the rest of the Ducks made their way out of the locker room, causing Erin and Adam to notice their presence. Adam turned around as Erin glanced over his shoulder to see Charlie walking towards them. They both stood up, and Erin pushed her hair out of her face.

"Guess what!" Charlie beamed.

"Let's see. If my telepathy is in sync with yours today, I think we're spending Thanksgiving together," she said, skipping over to her friend, jumping up to meet his face.

"Bombay?" Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow, slightly disappointed that the surprise was ruined.

"Of course," Erin said high-fiving him.

"Jeez, guys. You're making me jealous over here," Adam said with folded arms. "Fancy Thanksgivings blow," he continued as he shook his head.

"Stop by!" Erin exclaimed, walking to the exit of the ice rink. "And don't even think about feeling intrusive. We'd be more than happy to have you over, dude."

Adam smiled. "Yeah. Thanks. My family is great, but sometimes..."

"I know Banks. We got you, and we're always around to keep you sane," Erin said with a laugh. Charlie nodded at Erin's words, seeing as Adam was one of his best friends. Banks was one of the sweetest, most genuine guys at Eden Hall, and why he handled so much unnecessary pressure from his family was beyond everyone. He handled it without snapping, and remained a strong guy.

"Yo, Conway," Goldberg called. "Come here."

"Yea," he replied, walking over to Goldberg and Averman while Connie joined Erin at the front of the group.

"Dude!" Guy exclaimed. "What the hell!"

Charlie furrowed his brow, "I dunno what the fuck you're talking about, man."

"Yeah, okay Captain," Guy replied, obviously not believing his friend.

"And on with the timeline," Averman said, pretending to hold a microphone to his mouth.

"Freshman year, you and Linda got together after what? A month? Then there was Danielle. You had that same Conway confidence that has all the ladies runnin'. And now? Wake up, man!" Guy exclaimed trying to shake him.

"Guys, I really don't know what this is," Charlie continued shrugging his friends off trying to avoid the subject.

"That's what, idiot," Guy almost screamed as he nodded over to Erin, and smiled since she was walking with Connie. "And you do the smile thing, too. Don't think I don't know it when I see it."

"What," Charlie rebutted, waiving his hands, "She's cute. We're friends. College is coming, and it just is what it is," he finished looking at Guy, clearly annoyed by his friends butting in. The guys starred him down, not believing his lack of care for the matter.

"Look dude, don't complain then when some other guy asks her out or something," Guy said.

"Don't worry about it. If i wanted to do something about it, I would've already," Charlie said in an effort to convince himself and the guys. They definitely were not buying it, though. His tendency to be stubborn poked out from time to time. Even though Charlie did not foresee himself being in a relationship senior year, he did like spending time with Erin. Not that he would use her, but he was a guy, and his thoughts did wander to more than friendly places from time to time. Brushing his damp hair out of his face, Charlie headed out with the guys for the night.

Thanksgiving day took place at the Cadrell's house the following day. Usually a large celebration with the whole family took place in New York, but this year nine people sat at the dining room table in the Minnesota household. They all became incredibly overwhelmed and stuffed from the mounds of food piled on the table.

"Mrs. Cadrell," Casey Conway started.

"Tess," Erin's mother interrupted, as she scooped another helping of stuffing into her dish.

"Tess. Thank you so much for having us over. Everything is great," Casey said, commending Tess and James' cooking with a smile.

"Anytime. That pumpkin pie looks great, and Charlie, I think you saved Erin from spending Thanksgiving bored and alone," Tess laughed, gesturing over to Erin who gave a half smile.

"Yeah, I guess he's an alright replacement for my cousins who I love so dearly," Erin said, smirking at Charlie, causing an awkward silence to fall over the table. Only Charlie sat there laughing along with Erin. "Oh, this is what we do, just so you all know. Just sarcasm."

"You're cute," Erin's sister said, pointing at Charlie. "Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Umm..." Erin began laughing as her face burned red. She reached over to cover the seven-year-old's mouth before saying, "That's enough Lyss." At this point, everyone at the table laughed, while Erin and Charlie awkwardly eyed each other. It was only a matter of time before Alyssa made some sort of childish, inappropriate comment. Although situations like these were expected with a small child in the house, it did not embarrass Erin any less. Rolling her eyes, Erin decided to excuse herself from the table until dessert. "This is all your fault Gordon. Maybe a boring Thanksgiving is the way to go from now on," she said, walking out of the dining room to the stairs. Despite the presence of his mother and Bombay, Charlie found it difficult to sit comfortably with the rest of Erin's family due to Alyssa's previous comment. He usually found small children cute, despite their inappropriate comments and exaggerations, but at the moment he wanted to escape further embarrassment.

"Umm, can I..." he started.

"Yeah. Just got before she says anything else," James Cadrell finished.

"Ha. Thanks," he replied, wiping his mouth, commending the cooking, and bolting upstairs.

While climbing the stair case, he noticed many pictures lining the wall. Growing up without a father and little family made him wonder what having so many relatives would feel like. Finding Erin proved easier than he thought when he heard her voice coming from a room down the hall.

"Yeah. Dude. She just blurted it out in the middle of dinner. It was so funny, but weird, you know? Now my parents are probably gonna look into birth control or some shit."

Charlie laughed as quietly as he could, while making his way to what he assumed was her room.

"Yeah, Sam. It's too funny. We've gotten to be really good friends, seriously like biffles," he heard Erin continue talking as he walked into the room.

"Biffles, huh?" Charlie interrupted appearing at the entrance of the doorway.

"More embarrassment. Hold on. I think he's been listening to my private conversations," she said, smiling, holding a finger up to Charlie. "Yep, okay, Sam...love you too. Bye!"

"So who was that?" Charlie asked as she hung up the phone.

"One of my best friends from back home. She's amazing." Erin sat down on her bed as Charlie took a seat on the wooden desk chair on the other side of the room. Looking around the space, he noticed various pictures, medals, a stereo, and far too many Yankee posters than necessary. Cluttered on her desk were random pieces of jewelry, books, old cards, and CDs. Many clothes hung on the closet door, simply because storage space was limited. Thrown in the corner was her backpack, which he assumed she had no intention of touching until late Monday night.

"Nice room," he commented. "I like that," Charlie said, pointing to a small futon.

"Yeah, it's nice. Bigger than my last room, but I still can't fit everything," she responded. After a brief pause she suggested watching a football game.

"Hmm, well it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without football, but what kind of movies you got?" Charlie questioned, waling over to a stack of movies beside her television set. Glancing down the long line of movies, he was impressed at the balance among chick flicks, classics, and other random films.

"Don't laugh at the girly ones. I mean "Titanic" and "Romeo and Juliet" are staples in any girl's movie collections," she said, "but you can pick whatever you want."

"Hmm, Jurassic Park is always a good one," he muttered aloud to himself while skimming down the movie line. "Okay, got one, but close your eyes it's a surprise."

"Okie dokes," she said, walking over to the futon. Between the overabundance of food and the warm temperature in her room, she unzipped her brown sweater in order to breath more easily. Since her skin remained fair year-round, blemishes and other marks showed up easily. So, due to the heat, her neck and chest became blotched with red spots, which Charlie noticed as he took a seat beside her.

"Jeez! What the hell. You're so red," he motioned to her neck.

"Yeah. I'm warm. That's what happens. It's the Irish in me, I guess," she explained with a little chuckle. Soon the movie played on the screen, only to cause Erin's eyes to turn from dark, round orbs, to narrow slits focused on Charlie. "I am going to kill you, you sneaky asshole." Folding her arms in front of her, she watched her three-year-old self dressed in a purple polka-dot costume. Half mortified, but mostly amused Erin watched her first dance recital, while Charlie clutched his stomach laughing. Watching herself scream the lyrics and over-exaggerating the dance routine never failed to entertain her. She obviously stole the show and engaged the audience. Erin even screamed out to her family at the end of the dance. She was a riot, and Charlie obviously was entertained.

"This is so hilarious! You look like a little munchkin!" he exclaimed between fits of laughter, while Erin whacked him with a pillow, messing his hair and wrinkling his shirt.

"Hey, hey. Don't ruin this shirt. I'll beat you," he warned, trying to adjust his collared shirt.

"Yeah, today you actually look halfway decent," Erin teased.

Still laughing after the video ended, Bombay walked into the room.

"Hey Coach. Have you ever gotten the honor to watch your little cousin's dance recital?" Charlie questioned, hoping to watch the video again.

"Oh, man!" Bombay exclaimed. "You looked like a little Flintstone." Gordon laughed along with Charlie, while Erin glared.

"Cool, guys. Come on, I was so freakin adorable. And the little curly poof on my head just adds to my charm," Erin said nodding.

"Well before I was side tracked by your teenage insanity, I was supposed to tell you guys to come down for dessert and that Banks is here, too," Gordon said.

"Sweet!" Charlie and Erin exclaimed together running out the door for more food and to hang out with Adam.


	5. Chapter 5: Bitching & Bonding

**Chapter 5: Don't own the Ducks, only my O/Cs..enjoy :)**

"So Dean Buckley. Do you think we could do this winter skating thing instead? I mean the petition speaks for itself," Julie inquired, presenting a petition signed with over two-hundred signatures. Looking up at Julie, Charlie, and Erin, the Dean pursed his lips and looked back down at the paper in front of him.

Hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke. "How do you think you're going to pay for the DJ? And what about skate rentals?" His question was a legitimate one, but the three friends covered any possible loopholes.

"All taken care of," Charlie said definitively. "We use the student run concessions to finance the outlying costs. Plus the admission fee of seven dollars will also aid it, too."

"Well, Mr. Conway. Greta initiative. The theme is relevant and more than enough students have shown interest. As long as you all continue to carry out the planning and payments as responsibly as you are now, I approve," the Dean said with a smile.

"Well Erin actually gave me the idea in the first place. She sorta helped with all the minor details," Charlie replied, shaking the Dean's hand and looking over to his friend.

"Alright. Well, December 15th then? I'll write it into the schedule." Before they left the office, Dean Buckley entered the event on his calendar.

Charlie, Erin, and Julie walked out of the office with huge smiles. A school-wide assembly would be held the next morning where Julie, Charlie, and Erin would propose the event to the student body. After the announcement, the halls buzzed with the talk of the event. Many elated freshmen anxiously questioned the attire and whether dates were allowed. As Charlie tried to explain that the goal of the skate fest was pure fun and no stress to a worried freshmen girl, the Connie filled Erin in on her freshmen year at Eden Hall.

"Y'all remember those Varsity guys? I still don't git why they had to hassle us all through that year," Dwayne recollected.

"Yeah. The Varsity guys were real assholes. Banks made the team, though, so we spent the first couple months of school trying to get them any way we could," Fulton explained. Reminiscing about years prior, the gang neglected homework despite the mounds that piled up.

* * *

Later that day, Julie, Erin, and Connie sat in Julie's dorm room hanging out and catching up on work. Connie and Julie were going out with Guy and Portman that night for a triple date with a girl Averman had recently met. Rumor had it that the girl was only a sophomore, and Averman met her while at the park with some of the guys. As the girls got up to leave, Erin remained on the bed. "Are you sure you don't mind me studying here for a bit, Jules?"

"Of course not. As long as I come back and everything is in order, it's totally fine," she said, as she grabbed her coat and walked out of the room. Another half hour of work dragged by for Erin. She tried to lighten her tense mood by playing some music in the background. Moments later there came a knock at the door.

"Yea," she answered, bobbing her head to the music.

"Hey," Charlie said poking his head into the room. His cheeks were red from the cold wind outside, and he only wore shorts and a t-shirt.

"What's wrong with you? You're crazy to be walking outside like that. Must be important then, hu?" Erin continued to study her notes, as Charlie stepped into the room.

"Yea. Just stressed and nervous. Needed to talk. You mind?"

"Course not. Sit," Erin responded moving her papers and books out of the way so that Charlie could sit down. "What's on your mind."

"Eh, just thinking if BU falls through. I dunno what I'd do. Like my dad hasn't been around for, like, forever. It's always been me and my mom, and change scares the shit out of me. I snap sometimes when things don't go my way. Ask Bombay. I'm a real dick when that happens. And if the BU thing does work out I have to leave people behind. Plus, my grades are by no means spectacular. I'm barely pulling an A minus this year. Long story short, lots of crap pisses me off, and I absolutely hate not knowing what's gonna happen right now," he finished inhaling deeply, throwing himself on his back.

Nodding, holding her lips tightly together, Erin reclined beside him. "Now, I always knew you had a big mouth, but whoa. Let's start from the beginning here." She looked at him, while he nodded. "If you need help with school, especially English, I'm always around. Hockey is your thing. Dude, you're the captain. As far as change goes, I am a stubborn bitch sometimes, so I kinda get it. But look at it this way, when you get into BU," she said, putting extra emphasis on "when," "and if I get into BC, we'll basically be neighbors. Banks, Averman, and Julie are looking around New England, too. So you'll have some people right there. But to be honest, my grades have dropped a bit, too. It's annoying," she finished, rolling over, shoving her head into the pillow, and screaming.

"What the hell?" Charlie said with a laugh.

"I dunno, just felt like doing it," Erin said, shrugging and leaning back onto the elbows.

"That's what she said." Laughing, Erin gave Charlie a nudge.

"I find it funny how we bitch about everything. What are friends for, I guess? Just wish I was busier sometimes. Sitting around sucks."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Charlie exclaimed. "You're lucky to have an ounce of time to yourself. Hockey rules my life, and I love it, but damn it takes a lot outta me. You have to get to a game, though."

"Yeah. I was planning on it. Although, I'm gonna be sitting alone the whole time," she said.

"Bring some of your other friends or something. After we'll all hang out. We usually do anyway. So you're definitely coming."

"Oh, you know. I've been meaning to tell you that Averman actually suggested that I help manage or something. I really don't know everything about hockey. If it were baseball I'd definitely do it, but I dunno," Erin told Charlie.

"You should do it. We'd help you out. You'd probably be good at it." Charlie looked at Erin who just looked at him with an uncertain glance. "No. Please just do it. It'd be fun, and you'd pretty much be part of the team. You can even," Charlie paused trying to think of something to persuade her with, "wear a jersey."

"Oh, yes. Very convincing," she said, leaning over on his shoulder.

They sat there for a minute until Charlie spoke again. "You're a good friend, Erin."

She smiled, hugging him. "Thanks. You are, too. You all are. Too bad I didn't know everyone sooner."

"Well don't worry cause we all think you're pretty cool. Plus I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon." Charlie starred at the top of Erin's head, which now rested on the side of his arm. He never knew how someone he met so suddenly could have such an instant affect on him: other than Bombay of course. Then again she was his second cousin. It was nice for him to gain more support over the years: his mother, his team, his friends, Bombay, and Orion. He felt that genuinely good people were hard to come by, especially when his mother dated her share of inadequate men. Hoping not to continue the awkward silence, Charlie spoke again. "Why are you a midget?"

"Ha nice conversation starter, loser. Why are you over six feet tall? The world may never know," Erin said looking up at him.

"I dunno. First thing I thought of. Don't worry it's pretty cute, though," Charlie smiled, mentally commending himself for his attempt to compliment her.

Erin just smiled, of course trying to hide the rising redness creeping onto her face. Comebacks were not her thing, so she just sat there awkwardly wishing she had something clever to say, but all she could muster was a faint, "thanks."

"Anytime, Erin."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Walking in a Winter Wonderland.**

"Today is the day!" Goldberg exclaimed. "Our futures could be determined right now." December fifteenth finally arrived, and it was an exciting, yet terrifying day for the Ducks and the other seniors who had applied early to college. Everyone paced around the main office, awaiting the mail for Julie, Luis, Kenny, Russ, Portman, and Dwayne.

"Guys, this is gettin' me all nervous. At least we got the skate fest tonight," Dwayne said. "We'll play a nice game of round up. Maybe I'll scare some freshmen." Although Dwayne was joking, Connie looked at him with wide eyes and a pout on her face.

"Damn, guys. Look who finally decided to escape from the library," Russ said, pointing to Erin and Charlie running down the main stair case.

"Unlike you, Russ, senioritis definitely hasn't gotten the best of those two," Julie yelled over to Russ, who gave a careless shrug. With second semester around the corner, many of the seniors knew they would slack off. The two friends joined the group with big smiles, but they were as nervous as everyone else. Even though Charlie and Erin spent most of their time with the team, it was clear that something more went on between them, whether it be side jokes, or them wandering their own way from time to time. Averman and Connie finally got Charlie to admit that he at least thought about asking Erin out. He told them that he would try to put his plan into action for the skate fest.

"Did you do it yet?" Averman rushed over to Charlie, asking his question in ear-shot of Erin.

"Do what," she replied, whipping her head around to see Averman standing near Charlie.

"Don't worry about it," he answered, trying to do a mock tough guy accent. Erin rolled her eyes and strolled away from them toward Russ and Dwayne. Averman clearly thought he was the funnies guy alive. Even though Erin generally did not mind her over abundance of male friends, sometimes she questioned their sanity.

"Averman, come on. I was gonna do it!" Charlie did not convince Averman.

"Do it then," Averman challenged.

"I guess. I mean it's just a date, and we're friends who both have made it clear many, many times that we don't want a relationship. Who would wanna be tied down now anyway?"

"But it would be magical. Like Disney World. It makes dreams come true," Averman teased. Charlie just glared at Averman because he knew that many of his friends were in support of whatever him and Erin may or may not be.

Shoving his friend, Charlie motioned to the office. "Come on. Looks like they got the mail.

Dwayne ran over. "Guys, it's my Texas letter, and St. Louis University." Dwayne and the rest of the group cheered when Dwayne was the first Duck accepted into two schools. By the end of twenty minutes, more acceptances were established causing many congratulatory words. Portman made Ohio State, Russ was accepted to Michigan, Julie made three of her schools, including Fordham, Boston University, and one in Maine; Kenny was accepted to U Miami and the University of Chicago; and Luis also got into Michigan and U Miami. Everyone hugged and cheered for their friends, although the rest of the Ducks who resided in Minnesota remained a bundle of nerves.

"Jules, when's your Columbia letter coming?" Charlie asked.

"I think by Christmas. It's a long shot though," she replied, while she hugged Portman.

"Okay, well I'm gonna head home to get ready for tonight," Averman said. "Anyone wanna meet at my house before we come back?" The rest of the gang agreed to meet at Averman's and to take the bus back to Eden Hall by 6:15 with the exception of Julie, Erin, Charlie, Connie, and Guy who volunteered to set up for the event.

"See you later guys," Fulton said as they turned to leave.

"Wait, Fulton!" Connie called. "Could you guys pick up the rest of our college letters for us?" When the guys looked slightly annoyed, Connie added a faint, "Please?" She and the rest of the gang did not want to wait an extra day.

"Fine," Fulton agreed, slightly rolling his eyes. "I'd feel bad if I didn't, but you owe me."

"Fulton you're the best, man," Guy said, smiling.

The gang walked over to the ice rink where the decorations were stored. Orion agreed to supervise and help out with anything. Once they were on the ice, Charlie skated over to Erin who could not quite reach the top of the glass where they were stringing blue lights. "Need some help there?"

"No, no. I can do it," she replied, reaching up as far as she could, but Charlie took the lights, putting them in their proper place. "Thanks."

As they continued to decorate, silence filled the rink until Charlie decided to speak. "Hey Erin, I have to ask you something."

Rolling her eyes, Erin thought she knew what was coming. "Don't worry, you're going to get into BU."

"No actually it's not about that. Shocking right?"

"Yea, so what's up?"

"Okay, well for tonight. I know it's sort of out of the blue or whatever, but do you wanna go here with me tonight?" Charlie asked, obviously trying to ease his nerves.

"We're already here together, Charlie, if you haven't..." but Charlie cut her off.

"No, no. I mean like together, like a date. If that even makes any sense," he said, trying to clarify.

"Oh, ha ha, yeah," Erin said, turning her face trying to hide her wide eyes and huge grin that played on her face. She was not going to jump to crazy conclusions, but she was pretty happy at the fact that one of her best friends, who she happened to find extremely cool and attractive, asked her on a legitimate date.

"Yeah, as in yes you'll go with me?" Charlie asked, somewhat confused by her answer.

"Yeah, as in sure, why not it'd be fun to go with you," Erin said cooly, gaining her composure back, although the nerves in her stomach fluttered and danced endlessly.

"Awesome."

"Oh, no now I need to actually look nice, damn," she joked.

"Eh, well I think you look fine the way you are," he said, smiling. "You're shirt is nice." Charlie wanted to kick himself for being so awkward and corny.

"Ha, thanks," she said. Erin sported a burgundy camisole with silver trimming, a tied sweater over the cami, and a pair of straight leg jeans. "And I straightened my hair, too. Just in case you hadn't noticed," she said with a laugh trying to ease the tension that slightly formed. They went back to decorating for a few moments until Erin spoke again. "Well, Conway, you look nice yourself in that hockey jersey. Very manly," she ended with a wink.

He laughed. "Well I am glad that you're my date. You can help me get rid of the crazy underclassmen who stalk my life."

"Modest much?" Erin joked. "But in all seriousness, I'm glad you're my date, too." She skated over to hug Charlie. Although they had such an easy-going, sarcastic friendship, she wasn't sure whether or not to take the date seriously. She knew they would probably spend most of their time together, date or no date, but if it really was a date, she had mixed feelings. From day one, she found Charlie attractive. He was funny, athletic, tall, and a great guy, despite his flaws. Not to mention, he had nice eyes. She decided to go with the flow that evening. If he wanted a relationship, though, she did not know what to do. Along with not wanting to be tied down senior year, Erin found relationships to be the fast track to a lost friendship. She figured she would just wait and see.

* * *

As 6:30 rolled around, the rest of the Ducks showed up to the rink.

"Guys. Our fate is held right here in these envelopes," Fulton said, handing out the letters.

"No matter what, I love you all," Connie said. Guy gave her a quick kiss for good luck as she began to tear open her Minnesota U envelope. Her face beamed as she read her acceptance letter. "They're coming to the game on January 15 to watch me play." Guy embraced Connie, who had just confirmed her school choice. Sure enough, Guy was accepted as well. It was obvious that Connie and Guy would go off to college together.

"I'm next," Averman said, holding his Northwestern, Northeastern, and Minnesota envelopes. His eyes lit up. "Accepted to Northeastern and Minnesota. Deferred from Northwestern. Saw that coming," he said, with a smile on his face.

Goldberg got into Pittsburg, Penn State, and George Washington University. Adam scored big time, making Boston College, Northeastern, Ohio State, and Notre Dame.

"Damn Cake Eater. And Hockey scholarships!" Goldberg exclaimed. "You're set. Erin, you're turn." Taking a deep breath, she ripped open her Fordham letter: accepted.

"Knew it," Julie said with a smile, as Erin opened her Boston College letter with shaky hands. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as she showed everyone that she made it into BC.

"Knew you would, Erin," Banks said, patting her back.

Looking over to Charlie, everyone expected him to open his Boston University letter. "I'm not opening mine now. It'll ruin my night if I don't get in."

Everyone nodded.

"Now let's go skate!" Dwayne exclaimed. Everyone was having an awesome time skating, singing, eating, and enjoying the holiday. The rink became crowded with many familiar faces of the student body over the next hour. Most people enjoyed the event, but what would a good high school function be without a couple of rowdy kids who show up drunk? As the gang ate, two junior boys were escorted out of the facility due to their obvious inebriation. The Ducks knew there was a time and a place for everything, and a school function was definitely not the time to drink.

"Come on, guys. Let's go. We've been eating like forever. I wanna skate," Goldberg said.

"Yeah. I'm with Goldberg," Erin said, quickly eating a few more fries before standing up and going to pay for her food. Before she could stop him, though, Charlie already reached the cashier. She folded her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Nice date you got there. Where can I get one?" Averman joked. When Charlie and some of the others returned from paying, the gang made their way back onto the ice. After many fruitless attempts of trying to skate backwards, Erin grew frustrated.

"Erin, look. All you have to do is this," Charlie said, demonstrating his backwards skating skills almost effortlessly.

"Okay Mr. Captain of the Hockey team. I've tried to teach myself, but I really can't do this. It's friggen hard." Many failed attempts later, Charlie and Fulton started pushing Erin backwards so she could glide for a while without having to exert any energy. After a few moments, she crossed her arms. "This is stupid. I can skate forward, so who cares."

"Fine," Charlie said, facing her to skate backwards. "Give me your hands. I'll pull you, so you can go really fast."

"Ha, okay. Just don't kill me," Erin warned, "or I'll stop being your date."

"Well. Wouldn't want that to happen," he replied, grabbing her hands. Side tracked by a heated sports discussion with Guy, Charlie skated dangerously close to the wall.

"Charlie, watch the," but before Erin could finish her sentence, he had slammed into the side of the rink. Erin laughed. "That's what you get for not paying attention."

"And a hard check into the boards," Averman said. They laughed as they took off to catch up with Erin. For someone who did not play, she was pretty fast, although she could not properly stop.

"I suck at stopping," she said. Charlie helped her come to a stop by catching her around the waist as her hands caught his arms. "Thanks," she said, as Charlie smiled down at her.

* * *

Portman and Julie were skating hand in hand when they caught sight of Charlie's arms around Erin as they laughed about something.

"You know, she definitely likes him," Julie said.

"How do you know for sure?" Portman questioned.

"Well last week, I came back from out triple date, and they were doing homework, but he was like laying on her leg and she was playing with his hair and stuff. And then, when I asked her about it, she got all flustered and repeatedly told me that nothing happened. Defensiveness equals love," Julie explained.

"Hmm, you make a good point Cat. Bombay'll be thrilled," Portman laughed.

"Yep, you love my brilliance," Julie responded.

Kissing her cheek, Portman said, "Yep, I do, but I also just love you."

"Well that was a cute, but incredibly lame attempt at rhyming."

"Come on, I am a very poetic soul."

"Whatever you say, babe..." Julie said, jokingly, reminding Portman of the time when he used that name for her back at the Goodwill Games.

* * *

As the night progressed, many oldies were played by the DJ. The gang especially enjoyed "Sweet Home Alabama." They did their best to dance, while they pulled each other around the ice, gaining many glances and stares from other students who found their enthusiasm to be a bit much. They did not care as long as they were having fun.

As eleven thirty rolled around, most people began to head out.

"Clean up tomorrow's gonna be a bitch," Charlie said sitting down in the penalty box, undoing his skates. Erin sat next to her and began removing hers as well. Once they had their shoes on, Erin stood, expecting Charlie to follow. "Wait. I wanna open my letter now."

"I thought you wanted to wait until you were alone because you have way too much pride to let others see you fail," Erin said.

"Jeez thanks," Charlie said.

"Hey, unlike other people I'm not afraid to call you a whiny bitch or a stubborn asshole, or..." Erin started, but was cut off.

"Okay, I think I get the point," he replied, not angered by her words because he knew she was right. He though back to his freshmen year and how rude and selfish he was not only to Orion, but to the people who cared for him most. Thankfully he worked on kicking the habit. "Besides," he continued, "I figured why not open it with you cause I think I'll need some support if I don't get in." Little by little he opened the envelope. Skimming the letter, Erin watched his eyebrows raise in disbelief before he handed her the letter.

"Oh my God! Congratulations! I knew you'd get in!" Erin threw her arms around Charlie. "I am so proud of you. This is so amazing," she rambled on, her words muffled due to her head being buried in his shoulder. After a few more seconds she let go, kneeling with one leg on either side of his right leg.

"Thank you," he said, holding his hands lightly on her waist.

"You would've gotten in without my help, so there's no need to even thank me," Erin said with a shrug looking down at him, leaning her hands on his shoulders.

"Maybe not. So thanks," he said again, smiling at her. Her beaming face and wisps of hair that hung in front of her face made her look so beautiful to him. Due to the slight cleavage protruding from her camisole, Charlie did everything in his power not to let his mind wander. Instead he tried to think of why he liked to spend so much time with her. Erin leaned back into Charlie's shoulder. His breath felt warm on the side of her neck, and the darkness, only lit by the blue lights made the vapor from their breath visible in the air. Her heart pounded a mile a minute, and she was so happy for Charlie. The smell of his cologne mixed with a slight sweaty scent made her stomach knot. Moving closer, Erin wanted to take it all in while it lasted. Her trance was broken when she could have sworn she felt him brush his lips slightly against her skin right below her ear lobe. His found it more and more difficult to just sit there with Erin and not make a move. They were on a date after all, and he just hoped to God that she wouldn't kill him. He felt her tense and her grip on his neck tightened as Charlie brushed his fingers up and down her sides, slowly moving his head to look at Erin's face. Charlie's lips tracing her skin gave her goosebumps as he finally met her face. Looking down he bit his bottom lip.

"Charlie. You okay?" Erin questioned, voice cracking, as she fingered the back strands of his hair. When he looked back up at Erin, he still slightly bit his lip as if making his decision. He gripped Erin closer and half smiled at her before leaning up to capture her lips lightly with his own. It took her a moment, but she kissed him back, tilting her head to the side. Charlie moved his mouth against hers slowly, trying to savor each kiss. It obviously did not take much for him to be completely lost by her touch; one of her hands traveled up into his hair and the other pressed against his stomach. His cold hands against her lower back sent chills through her body, and just kissing Charlie felt amazing. Before pulling away, Erin pressed her lips hard against Charlie's. They both tried to repress smiles, and Erin felt her face red. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and looked down, as she felt Charlie's eyes still on her. When she finally looked back at him, he smirked and she managed to laugh.

"Well if that's what I get when I get into college, maybe I should apply to a few more," he joked. Erin nudged him standing up.

"What a way to end a date," she replied. "And I am so, so happy for you." She smiled.

"Thanks. Now let's get outta here," he said, taking her by the hand, hoping that the ride home would not be awkward. Although they both found that with each other, awkward did not really exist.


	7. Chapter 7: It is What it is

The weekend consisted of mounds of homework leading up to the last week before Christmas break. Barely any of the Ducks stepped outside their homes that weekend due to the papers they were assigned and numerous tests. At eight o'clock on Sunday night, the doorbell rang at the Cadrell residence. Because nobody was expected at the time, Erin's mother answered the door. She hoped nothing had gone wrong with James' brother and Gordon had come by to break some bad news. Instead, Tess was surprised to see Charlie Conway standing at the door.

"Hi, Charlie," Tess greeted, slightly confused. She wondered why he showed up at the house so late when he had the whole weekend to go out.

He read her quizzical expression. "Oh, I'm sorry. I can leave if you want me to. I mean I know Alyssa must be sleeping, but I just had so much school work this weekend and this was the only time I could..." Charlie explained, rambling, but Tess put a hand up and motioned for him to come inside.

"It's alright. We're just not used to having many people around so late," she said.

"Thanks, Mrs. Cadrell."

"It's Tess," she said leading him to the living room. "Erin, Charlie's here to see you," Tess said, walking into the living room with Charlie following behind her. She wasn't sure whether she should be more surprised at the fact Charlie came to see her, or the fact that her mother actually let him into the house. Back in New York, Tess Cadrell thought their space was too cramped for company. Maybe she liked the new house better.

"Hey," Charlie said with a wave.

"Hey. What'r you doing here?"

"Just had an English question that I needed your help with."

"Right," Erin said, rolling her eyes, looking at her computer screen. "And what question about our wonderful language could be so immediately pressing that you couldn't just call?" With that she snapped her head up at him, giving him a look that suggested she knew he was full of shit. He laughed. She could pretty much make him laugh all the time.

"Okay. You got me. My undying need to see you every minute of the day couldn't keep me away for more than forty-eight hours. I'll admit it," he answered back with a grin. It was Erin's turn to smile because as sarcastic as he was, she knew his exaggeration wasn't a complete lie.

"Hmm, well now that you've fed my ego for the night, I think you can leave."

Charlie rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Fine. I just came over to hang out, talk, whatever..." he said trailing off, focusing his eyes on the pillow he held in his hands. "I just don't want things to be weird or anything now cause we hooked up or whatever."

"Ah, so the truth comes out. You know you could've just said that in the beginning. We're like really good friends. It shouldn't be weird." And there was the word: friends. Not that he thought she would want to be his girlfriend right after their encounter two nights prior, but he felt his heart sink the slightest bit. "Well," she continued. "after Friday, I think we sort of redefined the whole friendship thing." He found her wordy indirectness to be adorable as she sat facing him.

"Yep. Who's to say we'd even ever have to label the whole thing. I know you're not too big on the whole relationship thing right now, but regardless I just like being with you," Charlie admitted seriously.

"That's really sweet, Charlie. Unfortunately for us, people in high school feel the need to label anything anyone says or does. Pretty stupid. But we're seniors and we're going to college, and then I get attached so easily, and I don't want the burden of detaching myself from someone, you know?" Erin explained, putting her head in her hands, growing somewhat frustrated because if she was completely honest she was starting to become attached to Minnesota.

"Well. We might be only like twenty minutes away from each other next year, though. That'd be nice," Charlie said.

"Yeah, but still. What if we wound up breaking up or something? Like that'd suck, you know, losing someone you care about," she went on. Until this point Charlie sat a bundle of nerves since he had actually expressed the truth, yet she had only went on about why a relationship would not be a good move.

"So you're saying you care about me?" Charlie looked at Erin with a smirk. Maybe they were getting somewhere now.

After a slight pause, she finally spoke. "Yea. I guess I do. I care about a lot of people in my life. You're lucky you made it onto that list so quickly."

"Oh yea? Well I'd like to stay on that list for as long as I can."

"Only if I'm on yours, Conway," Erin said, picking up the remote, flipping through the channels. She felt her stomach knot, excited, yet nervous due to the current conversation. He appreciated that he wasn't pushing her into anything.

"You know you are," he said smiling at her. "Only cause you're related to Bombay, though, sorry."

"Wow, what an ass. And here I was thinking what a nice person you are." Charlie smiled. "Oh, and I thought about the team managing thing. I think I'm gonna do it."

His smiled widened. "Yes!" He launched himself over to hug Erin.

"Whoa, calm down," she said, holding onto his arms before trying to pry him off her.

"Jeez, I'm just happy," Charlie said, composing himself.

"Why? Because now instead of spending most of your time with me, you'll be spending all of your time with me? Again with the flattery," she said, shaking her head leaning over and putting her head on Charlie's shoulder.

"Well maybe you should be," he said. She looked up at him, repressing a smile. She found it funny how they never stopped with the lines. Erin also couldn't help but wonder if Charlie was like this with other girls he liked. With her previous boyfriend, the beginning was easy and fun, too, but it changed dramatically as time progressed. Deciding not to worry, she just went on watching the TV with Charlie, trying not to let negative thoughts consume her.

Soon she walked Charlie to the door. "Thanks for coming and making my weekend just a little less horrible."

"No problem," he smiled as he pulled her in for a hug. Looking at each other for a brief moment, Charlie kissed Erin quickly before turning and leaving.

"See you tomorrow."

"Night, Erin," he said turning to wave back at her.

* * *

"So did she tell you that she'd gonna do the managing thing?" Averman asked Charlie.

"Yea. I actually went over there Sunday night and she told me then," Charlie replied, skating beside Averman.

"You know, she's really cool. We're lucky we got her and not some crazy chic," Averman replied.

Laughing, Charlie nodded. "Yea. She's a real character. Kinda sucks she's only around for senior year."

"Mhm. So are you guys like together now or..." but Averman basically saw his answer written on Charlie's face. Averman shook his head. "But did anything happen on Friday?"

"Come on, man," Charlie snapped, trying to focus on doing the practice drills.

"So I'll take that as a yes. Good job, bro," Averman said, patting Charlie's back.

"Yeah, but it's not like she wants a relationship, and I don't usually just hook up with girls," Charlie started, catching Averman's unbelieving glance.

"You don't just hook up with girls? Alright well there's a flat out lie," his friend pointed out.

"Who? Maybe a couple times, but I'm not really that bad. Compare me to Luis or even Portman before Julie. I look like a Saint," he corrected Averman, who shrugged and decided not to debate any further. "What I was going to say was that I don't just hook up with girls who I actually like. Plus she's Bombay's cousin, and that's sorta weird. Other than Linda and Danielle there were like two other girls, jeez."

Sick of the same old conversation, Averman skated away from Charlie as Orion blew his whistle. They finally headed to the locker room, and wished Orion well for the Christmas Break. So far they were having a good season with a record of 7-0.

"Yo, guys the new millennium is here! 2000! We gotta make this New Year the best," Russ said, as he walked into the locker room.

"Banks you got a lotta space. Think we could use your place for a party or something?" Fulton asked. Everyone nodded and backed up Fulton's plan.

"I dunno. I could definitely ask, though. My parents usually go out somewhere, but if it's all of you plus some other people, it'd probably be cool," Banks replied.

"Sweet, dude. Let us know," Fulton said, patting Adam on the back. The thought of having a party made Adam smile. Despite the rough times for his family, he figured he could get back to his normal self. Over the years, he worked hard to impress people, especially his father, but he learned, mainly from Coach Bombay, that doing things because they make you happy is far more important. Trying to shake himself out of his slump, he figured the new year could be a good start.

"How you holding up lately?" Julie asked as they exited the locker room together.

"I'm doing alright. Still not feeling great, but I'm managing. Thanks Julie," he said smiling. For the past couple of months he had been careful not to disclose his situation to many people, but he knew he could trust his team. He had big adjustments coming his way.

* * *

"So Guy. What'd you get Connie this year?" Portman asked.

"Well. I got her a signed Minnesota jersey and some chocolate and a card that I made," Guy said.

"That's cool, dude. I mean, I don't really know what to get Julie. It's our first Christmas together and I wanna get her something nice."

"Well you know Julie. She's pretty easy going. I'm sure as long as it's from the heart, it'll be fine," Goldberg said. The rest of the guys looked at him with eyes raised. "What? It's true guys!"

"Aw, you're so sweet Goldie," Russ teased.

"Shut up, or no more free food at my mom's deli," he retorted as they made their way to lunch.

* * *

The Christmas break was off to a great start. On the first Monday, Julie, Erin, and Connie decided to go to the mall to finish up some holiday shopping.

"You guys. I kinda wanna get Charlie something nice, but I feel like he must have every hockey thing known to man. I mean, I could make him something, but I don't know," Erin said, looking at various hats and scarves that hung on a vendor stand.

"Well, I got Guy some clothes," Connie said.

"Yeah, but you and Guy have been together since like the seventh grade," Julie pointed out. "I bought Portman a new set of headphones because he always breaks them in his backpack. I got lucky he's easy to shop for, but Charlie likes a million things."

"Yeah. I was looking online the other day, and I saw this Stanley Cup shaped key chain. So I think I'm gonna customize that with the Ducks symbol and have it say something nice," Erin explained.

"Aw. That'd be really cute, Erin," Connie said with a smile as they walked over to a jewelry store.

"Oh man. I love those," Erin said, pointing to a silver Clad-ah ring.

"Very Irish of you," Julie laughed. "It's really pretty though."

"Yeah. A couple of years back Guy got me this necklace, locket type thing. It has some long message from the Bible in it," Connie reminisced, bringing her hands up to the chain she currently wore.

"Must be the love is patient passage. I love that quote. You've got a good boyfriend, Conn. You too Julie. All the guys are really awesome." Erin and the girls continued to walk down the mall, walking in and out of stores.

"So, why do you seem all anti-relationship?" Julie asked Erin who was looking around at shoes.

"Umm. It's not that I'm against them. I'm usually all for the whole relationship thing. I've had a couple or longish ones, actually. But last year, the guy I dated, Mark, we were friends before that and then he started getting really rude and disrespectful and would constantly put me down. So, basically he turned into a really big ass. I ended it finally, but it still really sucked," Erin said, apologizing after for her slightly tangental explanation. "Well that makes sense. I used to date the goalie of the Varsity team when I was a freshman, but he was two years older and went off to college so we didn't think it made sense to stay together," Julie told Erin, who heard briefly about that relationship.

"He was so nice, though, Jules. But Erin, maybe you'd wanna give a relationship a shot some time?" Connie suggested.

"Yeah. But I just hate all the labels. Relationship, friends with benefits, fuck buddies, whatever. Who cares. If friendship just happens to progress down that "more than friends" road then cool. I just hate how people push the issue. Not you, just people in general," Erin said, trying to clarify that she was not annoyed with her friends.

They nodded before Connie spoke again. "Kind of like you and one of my oldest, closest, most harmless childhood friends, hu?" Erin laughed at her failed attempt at being subtle.

"We're really close friends now, and we always have a really good time together. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it at least."

"So did anything happen between you guys after the skate fest, Friday?" Julie asked while they still were on the topic.

"Well, yeah. We wound up hooking up, but I don't know. Whatever," she said, smiling, trying on shoes.

"You know he's a good guy. Big heart. Plus you're cool. His first girlfriend, Linda was a bit too uptight and meticulous, and then this girl Danielle. She was pretty mean to like everyone, but him," Connie said rolling her eyes.

"She was the more bitchy type. Goldberg really, really hated. He said she'd go into his mom's store with Charlie sometimes and would basically order everyone around. Who needs that?" Julie explained. Erin felt herself growing a bit annoyed at thinking of Charlie with such a bitch, let alone any girl.

"Well thanks guys, but we shall see what happens," Erin said continuing her quest for Christmas gifts.

* * *

Gordon Bombay reclined on the couch of the skate shop watching the Redwings verse the Devils. A pot of soup boiled on the stove as dinner time approached. As Bombay shut the gas, he heard a knock at the door. "Just a second," he called out, pouring the soup into a bowl before heading to the door. He hoped that something work related had not come up. His down time was limited to one or two days a week, while he worked endlessly for his job. Even though he loved it, he still grew tired. When he opened the door, he was pleasantly surprised to see Charlie standing outside. "Charlie! Come on in! Good to see you!"

He smiled, walking into the familiar shop where he used to visit Hans before he passed away three years prior. "Can't believe this place is still around. Smells good in here, Coach," he said taking a seat at the small table placed by the television.

"Made some soup. Want some?" Bombay offered.

"Yeah, sure. Mind if I take some down to my mom at the diner. You know something a bit different?" Charlie asked.

"Not at all," he said putting some in a plastic container. "So what's knew with you? I heard about BU, congratulations! They'll be lucky to have you." He smiled as he sat down to eat. Shaking his head, he looked at Charlie. "Unbelievable how fast these years flew. Seems like a day ago you were playing district five."

"I know. It's crazy. Three years ago I hated Eden Hall, now I don't want it to be over, really. And the new millennium is coming up. Can't believe the '90s are over," Charlie replied. Instead of the little kid Bombay always knew, he saw a growing maturity in his captain.

"Well, I'm glad you seem to be really happy. And it's great that you and Erin seem to get along so well. James was telling me that you're over there all the time. You two are really similar. I figured that'd work out well," Bombay said.

"Yeah. Definitely," Charlie paused to eat a spoonful of soup. "I actually wanted to ask you a question about her."

"Yeah?" Gordon questioned, eyeing Charlie curiously.

"Um," Charlie started, pausing to let out a small, nervous sigh. Bombay was like family to him, and the topic of conversation was slightly uncomfortable seeing as Gordon was related to Erin directly. "I really actually like her a lot, and I was thinking of asking her out, but I don't think she wants to be with anyone right now, anyway. I'm pretty much letting you know, and want to make sure that wouldn't be weird or anything." Charlie scratched his head and looked down, nervous to hear his coach's reply.

"It really means a lot that my opinion matters about something so far removed from anything I expected you to say. Says a lot about your character. But Erin's great, and I know you. I've watched you grow up. You have a big heart, Charlie, and I'm oddly comfortable, and maybe even a little bit happy that you like her so much," Bombay finished, smiling. Another few moments passed. "What makes you think she wouldn't go out with you, though?"

"Well. She's told me a bunch of times that she doesn't really like the concept of labeling something as a relationship. I just have to respect it, though. I'm not gonna push anything," Charlie shrugged.

"I know she dated a really jerk last year. It takes time to fully recover from a bad relationship. Just keep showing her that she can trust you and I'm sure everything will work out fine."

"Yeah. That makes sense. What about you, Coach. Any ladies?" Charlie asked, raising his eyebrows, interested in Gordon's answer.

"Nope. Just moving around, working. You know how it is," Bombay responded, knowing how upset Charlie was when he had stopped seeing his mother years ago.

"Yeah," Charlie nodded, wanting to change the subject. "I really can't wait to play for BU." He paused. Thank you."

"For what, Charlie?"

"For not giving up on us, for sending us to Eden Hall. Everything's just really coming together now, you know?"

"I do. I bet you'll all be in touch after high school. That bond isn't something you guys are easily going to give up. For the remainder of the evening, Charlie and Gordon sat watching hockey, talking about old memories, and looking forward to the importance of the future.

"One more question."

"Shoot."

"What do you think Erin would want for Christmas? I really wanna get her something."

"Hmm. She always insists that she doesn't want anything. So, maybe something simple. Music? I'm getting her a Yankee blanket. Maybe ask one of the girls?" Bomaby suggested.

"Good idea, Coach. Maybe I'll ask my mom," he said with a laugh.

"I like that you're going out of your way for her. You're not even dating and you want to get her a gift. God help you," Bombay joked.

"What? If I like someone I'm gonna do my best to make it good. Kinda like hockey. Just giving it my all," Charlie reasoned.

"You really have matured. Just have to stop being so stubborn," Bombay said, patting him on the shoulder by the door.

"Learned from the best, Coach," Charlie said smirking up at Gordon.


	8. Chapter 8

Twas the night before Christmas and the Ducks gathered at the pond where they practiced for District 5 so many years ago. Because there were over ten people to buy gifts for, they decided to do a Secret Santa so that everyone was able to get a gift. Despite the numbing cold, the gang endured the cold to keep tradition alive.

"Sorry about this outdoors gift thing, Erin," Guy began, "Connie and the guys refuse to move it inside. They'll never learn unless someone gets hospital inducing frost bite one year."

Erin laughed. "It's okay, only my hands and feet are numb. Who needs 'em anyways?"

Guy laughed as they sat in a circle around the pond. Thankfully, there was no snow covering the already frozen concrete.

About a half hour later, when all the candy, ornaments, cards, and other gifts were exchanged, the gang remained seated in silence. Silence rarely occurred among the group, but something about a freezing winter night and star clad sky created an overarching peace at the park. Breaking the silence, Dwayne began humming the tune to the "Christmas Song."

"Oh, I love that song!" Erin exclaimed, as she and Averman began singing to Dwayne's tune. The friends fell silent as their friends sang. Minutes later, they ended the song among a round of applause from the rest of the Ducks.

"Guys! Wow! You're pretty good" Connie commented.

Averman stood from the pavement and bowed. "Come on, Erin. I didn't know you could sing. Let's do Jingle Bell Rock!"

"Yeah! Let's do it," she replied, standing along with Averman.

They began to sing in the middle of the circle, dancing around while the rest of the team clapped along. Averman and Erin, loving the spot light, took a bow when they finished their song. The entertainment distracted the gang from the bitter cold as they sat around in the park for a while longer.

"Erin, my mom is picking me up tonight. Want a ride home?" Charlie asked.

"Oh yeah. That'd be great actually," Erin replied, gathering her small gift bags.

"Awesome. Nice voice by the way. Didn't know you could sing."

"Random talent, I guess," Erin said, shrugging.

After a moment or rare silence between the two, Charlie decided to change the subject. "So, you excited about Christmas? I heard me and my mom are invited over."

"Oh yeah? I did not know about this," Erin replied.

"Yeah, you're parents asked my mom at the diner and she said we'd go. Unless you don't want us there," Charlie said.

"No, no. I want you there. It'll be fun, and I think my cousins are coming, too. So it should be a good time," Erin told Charlie with a smile.

Nodding Charlie looked down for a moment before his eyes widened. "Erin, what's wrong with your hands?" he asked, grabbing her hands.

"That's just how they get in the cold. It's really no big deal, but that's why I asked for gloves for Christmas," Erin replied.

"Interesting," Charlie said, still holding on to her hands as his mother pulled up to the park. "Hey mom."

"Hello guys. Erin, how are you?" Casey asked as they entered the car.

"I'm doing well. You?" Erin politely replied.

"I'm good. It's nice seeing you again, and thank you're parents again for inviting us for Christmas," Casey answered.

"Yeah, I definitely will, "Erin assured her.


	9. Chapter 9: Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Christmas music played in the background of the Cadrell household as the family ate, conversed, and laughed. The New York relatives all flew into Minnesota for the holiday, and it was the first year that they all did not celebrate at a different aunt's house in New York. Charlie and Casey fit in with the family and one of Erin's cousins especially hit it off with Charlie. His name was Andrew, and he and Charlie conversed about hockey and other sports. Through stuffed moths of chicken, fillet, pasta, and other fish, they all enjoyed the holiday, especially since Jack was home. Erin's family was known for their exceptional cooking, and her great Aunt Marie backed the best butter cookies from scratch. Before dinner everyone would always try to sneak a few cookies.

"Oh man, these are," Charlie began, but paused before shoving another cookie into his mouth.

"Orgasmic cookies right?," Erin chimed in, reaching for a few more.

"So Casey, how long have you and Gordon known each other?" James asked.

"Well we've been in contact ever since Charlie started playing hockey in the little league, so about eight years," Casey said. "Closest father figure he's ever had."

James smiled and looked over at all the kids who now sat on the family couch watching television. "Gordon always talks about Charlie whenever he calls. He says he reminds him of himself. You're a lucky mom."

"Thank you," Casey said, smiling. "And your daughter is something else. Charlie is always telling me either about how smart she is or something else she's involved in."

"Oh yeah, thank her mother for that. I don't think she'd be the same if she only had me," James said, gesturing over to his wife.

"You both should come to one of the games this year, though. Now that Erin's helping out. They're fun and the next one is right after the break," Casey suggested.

James and his wife agreed, as long as they could keep their youngest daughter under control.

As twelve o'clock approached, the little kids went off to bed, anxiously awaiting Santa Claus to come. Erin's sister Alyssa kept telling Charlie that he shouldn't be friends with Erin because of her attitude. Charlie laughed at Alyssa's comments, always amused by the words that came out of her mouth. After the kids were safely upstairs, everyone was ready to start with the gifts that night. Piles for each family member was set up, so that way everyone could unwrap the gifts at midnight. Unwrapping gifts was always fun, and Erin especially enjoyed her first Christmas Eve at home with her whole family and one of her best friends from her new town.

Many new CDs, movies, and gifts cards later, the kids went around thanking their relatives. The youngest cousin was now eleven and the oldest was eighteen and in his first year of college. The family couldn't believe how old everyone was getting. After opening gifts, the adults continued to drink and play Christmas music, while the cousins filed off to bed. Erin was known for being the last of the cousins to stay awake with the adult, but this year she had Charlie to keep her company. Casey conversed easily with Erin's mother and her other relatives, and she seemed to be enjoying herself among everyone. Along with Erin and Charlie, Erin's brother Shane remained awake. They all decided to go upstairs to watch a movie. Erin and her almost fifteen year old brother were close, so he knew about the situation with Charlie. As a freshman at Eden Hall, Shane remained quiet among his peers, but extremely outgoing around people he knew well. Shane and Charlie loved to gang up on Erin for nothing in particular, whether it be her height or something else.

"Shane, it's so comforting to know you love Charlie more than me. Maybe he should just be your brother," Erin said as they tried to find a movie.

"I don't care. You can go live out on the street," Shane retorted, enjoying the slight annoyance he caused his sister.

"Yeah," Charlie chimed in, "I'll get her room and throw all her stuff out. Sounds like a plan man."

"Assholes," Erin muttered under her breath while flipping through the channels.

"What was that?" Charlie asked with a smile, although he knew exactly what she uttered.

Erin disapprovingly rolled her eyes in Charlie's direction. Moments later, the three settled on watching Home Alone. Sure it was a kid movie, but they had no shame, especially at after one in the morning. A half hour into the movie, Shane almost passed out on the couch. With almost closed eyes and his mouth slightly agape, Erin nudged her brother to awaken him.

"You're falling asleep. Maybe you should go up to bed," Erin suggested to her brother.

Shane groaned and mumbled something incoherent before slowly rising and waddling out of the living room toward the staircase.

"Your brother's a pretty cool kid," Charlie said.

"Yeah, and the fact that you like him more than me is sorta a problem," Erin replied, causing Charlie to push her head playfully to the side. "Cool Charlie, real mature," Erin said sarcastically, pulling a blanket over her legs.

"Nice blanket," Charlie said.

"I know! I think my Nana made it, and it has little doggies on it, see," Erin said holding up an edge of the blanket.

"How cute. Is that the Nana that passed away who made it?" Charlie questioned.

"Yeah. The fact that you actually remember that is pretty impressive," Erin said with a smile.

"Yup," Charlie said, slapping her hand, with the intention of giving her a high five.

"Ouch. Jeez, at least warn me before trying to kill my hand at 2 in the morning," she said squeezing his hand in an attempt to inflict some sort of pain. Charlie just continued to lay there watching the movie, obviously unaffected by Erin's attempts. Before Erin could move her hand away, Charlie latched on to her pinky. She smiled over at him as she grabbed his hand the rest of the way. After sitting for a moment, Erin sprang from her seat. "I almost forgot!" she exclaimed, running into the adjacent room. Charlie remained on the couch since he was so tired, but his mind became alert as he wondered what Erin so enthusiastically went to retrieve. Moments later, she returned holding a small, holiday decorated bag. "Here," she said extending the bag to Charlie.

Charlie pushed himself into a sitting position to receive the gift. "You know you didn't have to get me anything," he said while removing the tissue paper from the bag. Erin sat there smiling and starring intently at the bag. First came a bag of her aunt's homemade, holiday sugar cookies, and after that a CD with thirteen of his favorite songs. As Charlie motioned over to give her a hug, she pointed back to the bag. "There's more, what, no..." Charlie trailed off as he pulled out a small box. Inside he found a folded note and beneath that, a key chain in the shape of a Stanley Cup.

"Read the back," she urged, turning the key chain in his hand.

He turned it around, and the back of the key chain read, "Ducks Fly Together." He smiled, before leaning over to hug Erin. This time she welcomed the hug. "Thank you so much. This is great. I actually have stuff for you too." Charlie forced himself to walk over to the kitchen to grab a bag and a box. "Here."

"Thanks," she said, taking hold of the box slowly. She didn't expect anything from Charlie, and the fact that he went out of his way to get her an individual gift made her somewhat nervous. Erin began to tear at the paper, and when she opened the box she found a Ducks hockey jersey, complete with her name and the number three. "Dude! This is awesome!," Erin said holding the Jersey in front of her. Putting it down she continued to eye it before reaching for the smaller box. "What could this be," she mumbled as she opened it. "No way!" Her wide eyes and visible teeth indicated her happiness to Charlie. "I've always wanted one of these!" She took the tiny Cladah ring out and put it on. "How'd you know about that?" She furrowed her brow and slid the ring off.

"Well, Bombay helped me out a bit," Charlie admitted. "But the Jersey was all me, I swear"

Erin laughed. "Well thank you." She stood up to stretch, and Charlie stood to hug her a second time. She wrapped her arms too tightly around his neck and gave him an exaggerated smile, causing her nose to wrinkle.

"You are too funny," she said before letting go.

"So are you Mr. Conway," she replied, crashing back on the couch. When he sat down, Erin linked her arms through his and he wrapped his other arm around her. Erin looked up at him and smiled.

"You're cute," he said, his voice wavy and his eyes glassy and tired. Half smiling, she quickly kissed him on the mouth, before he had the chance to respond.

"Hey not fair," Charlie said, starring at her profile. She just looked straight forward watching the television.

"What's not fair?" she answered, making her best effort not to crack a smile.

"You sneak attacked me!"

"Well maybe you shouldn't have provoked me," she answered, shrugging her shoulders, letting out a small chuckle.

Charlie glared at her. She felt his gaze, so she turned her head to glare right back at him. A few moments later, neither blinked. "So, what is this a starring contest now?"

"Looks that way," Erin said.

"Well, I'm gonna win," he said inching closer to her face.

"Nah. I don't think so," Erin retorted confidently, pressing one hand to Charlie's shoulder. Charlie shrugged and quickly kissed Erin, causing her to blink. "Hey! Not fair!" she exclaimed.

Charlie triumphantly laughed, "Gottcha."

"Not cool," she said, but she continued to smile.

With that Charlie grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him, as they continued to watch the movie. It turned out to be a great Christmas.

The week leading up to New Years consisted of endless planning and shopping. The Ducks still hung out almost every day over the break, and everyone looked forward to the party. Because some of the gang returned home to visit family for most of the break and Erin's family returned to New York for a few days, only seven of the friends remained until New Year's Eve. Most found the extra time for relaxation to be extremely odd, causing a certain restlessness among the group. A couple of days before New Year's Eve, the gathered at Goldberg's house to watch movies and found themselves unable to just relax. The calm beginning to the day turned into the friends blasting music, eating junk food, and wrestling each other. Connie sat on the couch amused while the guys fruitless attempts to imitate actual wrestling moves looked more like yoga gone wrong.

After a while, Fulton landed Charlie in a head lock. His face turned red from the lack of oxygen.

"Fulton, dude, I think you actually may be hurting him," Guy managed to say through fits of laughter.

Charlie continued to struggle while Fulton refused to let go. "I'm not letting go until you tell us what's been going on lately," Fulton demanded as Charlie legs flailed in futile attempts to loosen Fulton's grip.

"Tell you what," Charlie choked out between gasps for air.

"Oh, shut up and stop playing dumb. You know what," Connie said calmly, picking out pretzels from the Chex Mix and handing some to Guy.

Finally, Charlie managed to maneuver his hand and started smacking Fulton on the side of his head, causing him to loosen his grip. Rolling over, Charlie clung to the carpet. The rest of the gang couldn't help but laugh at his hair, which had stuck out at all angles. "Damn Fulton. i thought you were gonna kill me buddy," Charlie said, rolling his eyes. When nobody spoke and all eyes focused on him, Charlie realized he was not off the hook. Sitting up on his knees, he focused his eyes downward. "Well," she said, pausing to smooth over his hair, "I think were are kind of together in an unspoken way," he finished somewhat unsurely.

"Oh the transition period. I remember it well," Guy said thoughtfully looking up. The transition period occurred for Connie and Guy long ago, though, in the seventh grade.

"Anything happen recently?" Adam asked.

"They kissed again on Christmas," Connie and Averman chorused. Questioning looks from the rest of the gang required further explanation.

"Well Charlie told me," Connie said, shrugging.

"And Erin told me," Averman followed.

"Well not I feel really 'in the loop'," Goldberg said, making air quotes, rolling his eyes, but before Charlie could retort, his phone began to vibrate. Reaching into his pocket, he answered the call while the rest of the friends murmured in the background.

"Uh hu. Okay. Bu bye," he said finally hanging up.

"What was that about," Fulton asked as he reclined on the couch with some popcorn.

"Apparently Orion entered us in some national tournament starting in February, like during winter break. So every other weekend we go somewhere and play teams from around the country. And then by the spring the top twelve teams move on. Pretty cool, right?" Charlie explained.

The gang exchanged approving glances. "What's the prize then?" Adam asked.

"Dunno, something about grant money for school and possibly some helpful aid to the team," Charlie answered.

"Like scholarships, dude?" Fulton chimed in with wide eyes.

Charlie nodded.

"Hell yeah! We gotta win this thing guys!" Fulton exclaimed. "College here I come!"


	10. Chapter 10: Chill out Conway

The night of the New Year's Eve bash, the gang, plus a few other friends, gathered at the Banks residence for the party. With the rest of the team back in Minnesota, they were sure the party would be a lot of fun. Although the Ducks committed themselves to school, hockey, their families, and relationships, they still enjoyed to party and let loose from time to time. With the help of Guy Germaine's older sister, they managed to score a reasonable amount of beer and liquor for the night. Usually, Portman dominated the pong table, but because he hadn't seen Julie in a week, he sat with her on a near by couch. As nine o'clock rolled around, Fulton and Charlie had already won their third game of pong. They decided to give up their reign over the table.

While standing around, Fulton caught Charlie glancing at the clock and then toward the door every so often. "Dude, she'll be here." Fulton tried to reassure him that Erin would show up eventually, but Charlie, as always when things did not go his way, just rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. Fulton walked over to Averman who sat on the arm of a near by couch. "You wouldn't happen to know where she is? Just because he actually grew a pair and was planning on asking her out doesn't mean he has to be a mope." Averman, Dwayne, and Russ chuckled.

"I haven't heard from her at all," Averman responded, somewhat irked at the fact that one of his best friends allowed minor details to determine his moods. "Charlie looks like he's gonna pee himself or something." The guys looked straight ahead. The archway that lead to the kitchen gave them a clear view of Charlie, who kept one hand on a can of Coke while repeatedly tapping the other hand on the marble counter. His foot mechanically shook back and forth and his eyes wandered to the clock every few minutes. "I doubt that she's freaking out about this. Isn't it usually the girls who are supposed to freak out?"

"Well, that's why the girls we chill with are cool. Duh," Russ interjected, as they took their NHL game off pause. They loved their captain, but were in no mood for his antics all the time.

By ten thirty, Charlie sat between Connie and Guy, rattling off theories about where Erin could be.

"Charlie, shut up!" Connie yelled. Charlie just rolled his eyes, and Guy laughed at his girlfriend who usually remained calm. "No, seriously. Stop worrying, calm down, and enjoy the party. I swear you're neurotic, and," but Charlie interrupted.

"Okay. You may be right. My whole plan was ruined," Charlie said, finishing off another beer.

"Sometimes spontaneity is the key to love," Guy chimed in. Connie laughed, clearly amused by their girlish conversation.

"Whatever," Charlie brooded. "And do you guys ever give the cuteness a rest?" he questioned, in a tense tone.

Despite his good character, his stubborn and meticulous nature caused him to mull over unimportant details of life. He just didn't want to mess anything up.

The party went on for a while without any extraordinary excitement, until Adam came running into the living room, practically dragging Charlie away. "Charlie. Man, we gotta go now!" He threw a random coat over his head, as he bolted toward the door.

"Dude, what the hell! I was just dominating Russ!" he exclaimed.

"This is much more important asshole, and how much have you drank?" Adam asked eyeing a number of beer cans lined up on the table. Banks remained sober since he was hosting the party.

"Don't worry, I'm good man," Charlie grinned, "and what can be so important now? It's eleven fifteen on New Year's Eve with your greatest friends on this earth."

"Well, for starters, her name rhymes with Shmerin, and her flight got delayed and only landed like five minutes ago," Adam said standing in front of the television to obstruct Charlie's view of the video game.

Charlie flung the controller toward Russ and bolted off the couch. "Shit! We gotta go. What's wrong with you? You're just standing there!" He threw the random coat over his shoulder and ran toward the door in a frenzy. Banks just rolled his eyes and exchanged knowing glances with the guys. They just laughed as Adam walked to the door to drive to the airport.

By the time they reached the parking lot, the clock read eleven forty-five. The time it took to get Charlie in the car wasted and extra twenty minutes. They pulled up outside the correct entrance and waited. Time ticked away, as they spent the final moments of the 1990s waiting for their friend. Soon, the clock struck midnight. Charlie blankly starred out the window and shook his head. "Happy New Year, buddy," he spoke quietly.

"Happy New Year Conway," Banks replied. "You know, you have nothing to even be whining about. You're one of my best friends, so I'm gonna be straight with you. You're thing with Erin is fine, you're going to a great university, and everything seems to be going really great for you right now. You really should learn to enjoy what you have instead of always worrying about how you can do things perfectly. It's hard, yeah, but you have it really good my friend. If I was constantly worrying about where my family is gonna end up in a year, I'd be driving myself crazy. Just because my dad's out of the job right now doesn't mean I'm gonna mull it over every minute of my day. Get where I'm going with this?"

Charlie turned his head toward one of his best friends. Adam remained quiet, but when he had something to say, it always made sense. Charlie, on the other hand, spoke the first thing that came to his mind, which sometimes caused him trouble. "You're too smart Cake Eater. And you're right. Maybe I should just stop being such a drama queen," Charlie joked.

Adam laughed, and they clasped hands and hugged. Two seconds later, they were startled by a tap at the window.

"Hate to interrupt this bromance-ish moment, but I'm freezing out here." The boys turned their head toward the drivers side of the car at the sound of Erin's voice. Dressed in a plain black sweatshirt and dark blue jeans with her hair thrown in a messy bun, she looked exhausted from her flight. Charlie finally calmed down, obviously delighted that she was back. Adam opened his door to help Erin with her bags, and they both laughed at Charlie who was half asleep in the passenger seat.

"Happy New Year Banks!" she exclaimed, embracing him in a hug. "He is so drunk," Erin said laughing at the sight of Charlie's head lolling to one side.

"Eh, I'd say he's just slightly inebriated at the moment," Banks said with a smirk as he hoisted her luggage into the trunk.

Erin climbed into the back seat and poked her head to the side of Charlie's seat. "Heard you missed me," she spoke.

He groggily turned his head to meet her gaze. "Maybe," he spoke slowly. Erin could smell the traces of alcohol on his breath since they were quite close.

"Happy New Year, Conway," she said, hugging his arm and leaning her head on the arm of the seat.

"You too," he replied sleepily.

"Sorry I missed it. My flight just got a little delayed. Couldn't really get in touch with anyone till I landed," she explained.

"It's alright, we have another semester all together," he said, turning to look at her in the back. She laughed since he looked like he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Well, I'm glad you came with Adam," she said as Banks took his seat behind the wheel.

"You guys are the best," she said, strapping herself in.

Once they arrived back at the party, everyone crowded Erin with hugs, hellos, and Happy New Years. Goldberg, Charlie, and Averman sat on the couch while Erin was bombarded by a couple of people from school.

"So'd you ask her, Conway?" Godlberg questioned, nodding over to Erin.

"Nope. Just figured there's too much going on tonight," Charlie said with a shrug, but clearly not as bummed as before.

"GOLDBERG!" Erin screamed, running over to greet the goalie.

"See," Charlie said, looking over to them, "too much." Both he and Goldberg laughed.

"See what?" Erin asked.

The guys just shook their heads as they enjoyed the rest of the evening.


	11. Chapter 11

Adjusting back to school was no easy task. Orion worked the team harder than ever in order to prepare them for the upcoming tournament. As manager, Erin took on the responsibilities of keeping stats, researching other players, and even attending practice. The whole time, the team envied her since she mostly sat in the penalty box doing homework. So far, the Ducks held a record of 8-1, which resembled past season records. Until her softball season began, she would accompany the team to the tournament each week. Since many players wanted to pursue hockey beyond high school, the tournament would be good exposure for them.

Luckily, the drama among the friends had been kept to a minimum, but most of the group could not avoid the building situation involving Charlie and Erin. Although Charlie's plan to ask her out failed on New Year's Eve, he figured it was worth the wait. He did his best not worry and focused on his practice drills. Half of the team worked on drills with Charlie, while the other half stood at the other end of the rink doing defensive practice.

"Yo guys," Russ said, as he fumbled around with the puck, "If I were a betting man, I'd say that those two won't get together until it's time to graduate."

"Russ, shut up, man. Seriously have we gotten so bored that we interfere with our friends personal lives?" Fulton interrupted.

"Of course!" Russ replied, sarcastically. He looked over to Erin, reading A Tale of Two Cities in the penalty box. "She looks so bored over there reading. She should at least come help us out or something."

Russ and Goldberg decided to skate over to Erin's place on the bench.

"So what could be more interesting than a feud between England and France?" Russ asked.

"Hockey, perhaps, Russ," Goldberg answered.

Looking up from her book, Erin glanced momentarily at the guys. "Shouldn't you guys be practicing? Orion's gonna add on at least twenty laps if you don't leave me alone."

Erin returned to her book, but her upturned lips was all the motivation they needed to persistently stand in front of her.

"Come on, help us with the practice," Goldberg urged, leaning against the white siding of the box. "I mean, we all know Conway doesn't mind watching you sit here, but you look like you're the one being sent to the guillotine reading that book."

Erin let out a deep breath. "As impressed as I am with you cleverness, I'm just trying to get through this, and it's actually pretty good."

"Cadrell, get yo' butt off the bench and help us." He paused waiting for a response, but continued his demands when she continued to read, unfazed. "Now you're on this team, damn well start acting like it."

Russ' refusal to back down caused Erin to smile. Standing, she nodded. "Fine. If it means that much to you I guess I can fill my duty as manager. But if I fall flat on my ass, I blame you guys."

Orion finally noticed the guys' prolonged hiatus from practice. "Goldberg! Tyler! What're you doing," he barked, skating over to the side.

"Well coach, we just saw our lovely manager sitting there, and we just thought we'd try to engage her in practice," Goldberg explained much too politely as he tried to curb Orion's frustration.

"Yea, she's part of the team now," Russ said. "We just thought she could help us with some defensive drills. Why not, right?"

Shifting his eyes from Goldberg to Russ, he nodded. "Just get her some equipment, guys. And next time maybe your captain should take initiative on this," Orion suggested, loud enough for Charlie to hear.

* * *

That weekend a few of the Ducks headed to the mall. Julie, Portman, Adam, Fulton, and Dwayne walked toward the music store to check out some new music.

"You think this is gonna work, Dean?" Julie quietly asked.

"Jules, I got this. You gotta trust me," he replied.

"Yea, but I don't know if this is the way to curb Adam's stress. You do know that girls can just cause more complications."

Despite Julie's good point, Portman insisted that his friend from the music store would be a breath of fresh air for Adam. As they approached the counter, a medium height girl with strawberry blonde hair stood by the register.

"Portman, hey!" the girl said, greeting her friend.

"Hey Cher," he said, giving her a nod.

"What's up with you guys today?

"Just hanging out, but Jules and I wanted to ask you if you'd wanna come hang out with us tonight after your shift. Our friends Dwayne and Adam are gonna be with us, and you already know Fulton" he said, gesturing over to the group huddled around a pair of headphones.

The girl scrunched her small, freckled nose, looked up and with wide eyes nodded at the invitation.

"Sweet deal, dude. Just meet us at Friday's after your shift" he said.

"Sounds good!" she said, waving at them as they turned to join the others.

"So how do you know her anyway?" Adam asked, speaking softly as they exited the music store.

"Since that's my home away from home, Banksie, I might as well make some friends. She's a cool girl, only a junior, but still really chill," Portman told Adam, who walked with his hands in his pockets.

Portman knew that Cheryl thought Adam to be one of the more attractive guys at Eden Hall, so as any good friend would, he agreed to set something up.

"Yea, she is really nice, Banks," Julie chimed in, trying to sound excited and sure that the night would progress without a flaw.

Adam only nodded as they continued to walk.

* * *

The same day, Erin sat at home with the rest of her family and Bombay. Luckily, Jack had been doing well, although he still remained in the hospital. As Erin sat reading, James and Bombay discussed the details of the upcoming hockey tournament. Since Erin would be attending the games, her parents were slightly concerned with all the traveling. Minutes later, the chime of her phone broke her from her concentration on her book.

"Hello?"

"Hey, wanna hang out?" a familiar voice asked from the other line.

"Wow, not even a greeting and you're already asking for plans?" Erin responded with a chuckle.

"Fine, well if you didn't know already this is Charlie Conway and I would be overly elated if you would hang out with me later today. Better?"

Erin rolled her eyes, trying to suppress a smile. "Sure, since you were so polite about it. But what would you want to do?"

"Not a clue since it's freezing, so do you just want to meet me at the diner in like twenty?"

"Sure thing."

"Awesome, see you then Cadrell."

Hanging up the phone, Erin skipped to the door to grab her coat and shoes.

"Where are you going in such a rush?" Erin's mom questioned.

"Dinner with Charlie. I'll be back later," she said, hurrying out the door.

When Erin walked into the diner, she sat at a stool and saw Casey Conway behind the counter.

"Hi Erin! Can I get you anything?" she asked with a smile.

"Not at the moment, I'm actually just waiting for Charlie to get here, but thanks Ms. Conway."

"Casey," she reminded her. "Oh and I saved a piece of chocolate cake for you. I've seen how much you enjoy it," she said grabbing it from under the counter.

Erin always had a way with parents, and she always enjoyed being around Casey. As she dug into her cake, Charlie walked into the diner.

"Oh no. My mom's saving you cake now? This cannot be a good sign," he said, plopping down on the stool next to Erin.

Casey laughed as Erin offered him some cake.

"I don't want wanna intrude on your love for your cake," he began, "but maybe I'll have a tiny piece," he said grabbing a fork.

Over the first half of the school year, she established a physical attraction to Charlie, but their friendship and many similarities helped her to realize how much she loved spending time with him. Even though they weren't in a labeled relationship, she felt no need to force the issue. It felt like he already treated her like his girlfriend, a thought that confused, yet comforted her. Shaking herself from her thoughts, Erin went back to enjoying her favorite cake with one of her favorite people.

After eating and prolonged conversation with Casey, Charlie finally managed to push Erin out the door.

"You sure you don't wanna go hang out with my mom?" Charlie asked with a laugh.

"What? She's so nice!" Erin said buttoning her pea coat.

Charlie caught a glimpse of her claddah ring and smiled to himself.

"So...what you wanna do?" Charlie asked.

"No clue. I'd say the park, but it's way too cold," Erin replied.

"Um, well we could always go over to my house. I mean if you want to," Charlie suggested, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yea, sure. We can watch a movie or something," Erin agreed.

As they walked in the cold, Erin figured she'd leave the minor detail of being alone at Charlie's house out of her night's synopsis to her parents. After walking in silence for a few minutes, her good conscience got the best of her.

"Charlie, won't your Mom be kind of mad if she comes home to us in an otherwise empty apartment?" she questioned, hoping he wouldn't think she was some sort of baby.

His eyes widened, and he immediately kicked himself for making the suggestion in the first place. "Oh God. By going to my house I really hope you didn't think I had any ulterior motives or anything because I just figured it's warmer there and maybe we could have some tea or something like that," he rambled, trying to make his clear his intentions.

"No, no, no, no, no" Erin repeated, trying to curb his rant. They stopped on a nearby corner, as he finally finished. "I really didn't think that you really had any other intentions or anything, really. I guess I just thought it may look that way or something to your Mom, and I know my Mom is alway rambling on about how that stuff looks to other people even though I know I shouldn't really be too worried about it," Erin began, stringing her words together, but stopping abruptly. "And suddenly I'm the one who's rambling. Go figure," she said with a laugh, rolling her eyes. She played with the tips of her gloves, waiting for Charlie to break the silence between them.

"It's fine. So do you want to just go home or something? It's really fine if you do," Charlie said, looking over her shoulder.

Pursing her lips, Erin mulled his question over, not wanting to appear too eager to spend more time with him. "Nah. That whole thing about drinking tea actually sounded pretty appealing believe it or not. I mean I do prefer coffee, but hey I'll take what I can get."

Charlie smiled, and began to nod. "Alright, awesome. That sounds wonderful. Tea and a movie it is."

"Sounds great, so adult-like though. We should build a fort, you know just to fool ourselves that we're not pretty much heading out into the real world in a matter of months," Erin said, grinning as she began to walk again.

Charlie stood on the curb for a moment watching her walk across the street before crossing to catch up with her. "You just may be the smartest person I've ever met," he said, nudging her lightly as they headed home, knowing that Casey would be in for a humorous surprise upon her arrival from her shift.


End file.
